Fate's Hands
by CrimsonNight41
Summary: It's been six months since Fairy Tail won the Grand Magic Games and defeated Acnologia. However, the Master now has some terrifying news for them; a new enemy has appeared, one more powerful than even Zeref! Fairy Tail must form an alliance with five other guilds to defeat this evil before it destroys their entire world. Will they be able to overcome their differences to save it?
1. Chapter 1 - New Enemy

A/N: Thank you to everyone who is reading this story! There is one thing that I want to make clear, though. Yes, this is labeled a Jerza fic. No, that does not mean that it will be limited to only Jerza interactions. Nor will the story be revolving around them alone. So if that's what you want, sorry. There will be other pairings in this story (such as Nalu, Gale, Lyvia, and many more), and they will all receive their own screen time. Now you have been warned, so if you have any complaints later on about pairings or a lack of Jerza, I don't wanna hear 'em.

Thank you again for reading! :) I hope I haven't scared too many people away. Please give my story a chance.

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Chapter One – New Enemy

_Lucy_

My heart fluttered nervously in my chest as we gathered around Master Makarov, preparing to hear the grave news he had for us. He had been pacing angrily around the second floor of the guild and muttering to himself for the past hour, ever since he'd returned from the Guild Master Meeting. It was obvious that they'd discussed something big, and while Fairy Tail's Master was by no means what one could call calm, he rarely got _this_ worked up over the meetings. The last time I could remember him being this agitated was during the Grand Magic Games, which had concluded over six months ago already.

The ghost of a grin tugged at my lips as I recalled the spectacular and entirely unexpected victory we'd pulled out, launching us back up to the top guild in Fiore after seven consecutive years of losing. Of course, those seven years were a blank in my mind, as I'd been part of a group in our guild that had been frozen in time on our guild's sacred Tenrou Island after the attack by the black dragon of the apocalypse, Acnologia.

As I looked around me, I noticed that the group I stood surrounded by today was the same group that had joined hands on the island as we prepared to meet our fate all those years ago. And something about the unnatural stillness that had come over Makarov when he'd summoned us all to the second floor combined with the fact that only the Tenrou Group, as we'd come to be called, was present had my hair standing on end.

"Listen well, my children," Makarov called in his harsh voice. His eyes were troubled, and I thought I could just detect the faintest glimmer of…fear.

_This is definitely nothing good…so why am I here?!_ I shifted nervously as my gaze flicked to the other mages standing around me. Natsu and Happy. Gray. Erza. Mirajane, Lisanna and Elfman. Laxus and the Raijinshuu. Juvia and Gajeel, with Pantherlily standing defiantly at the muscled Iron Dragonslayer's feet. Levy and Cana. And Wendy, with her white Exceed, Carla. Even Gildarts stood before the Master, his arms crossed and his brow furrowed as he watched the small, elderly man attentively.

I sighed to myself. Ever since we'd unlocked our Second Origin, our magic power had increased dramatically. I was even feeling confident in my own fighting abilities, and with the Twelve Zodiac keys in my possession, I would be a match for most mages in battle. And yet, I still felt woefully ill-equipped to handle the kinds of missions that Makarov sent us on when he wore that look on his face. _Just because I _can_ fight doesn't mean that I _want_ to!_

But of course, none of that mattered to Master Makarov. He cleared his throat and leveled a piercing stare at each of us in turn. "Terrible news has reached the Council," he began, shadows falling over his face, "of a darkness sweeping the land. It leaves nothing but death and destruction in its wake, and there have been whispers of another dark wizard, one even more powerful than Zeref."

Gasps rang out around the mages gathered before the Master. "More powerful than Zeref?" Mirajane asked in disbelief.

"We couldn't even manage to defeat Zeref, during the battle of the Eclipse!" Gajeel growled, clenching his fist in the air.

"We still don't know where he went. For all we know, this dark wizard could be Zeref himself!" Cana's dark eyes danced with fury as she rubbed the scar on her shoulder; a relic of our battle with Zeref after the Grand Magic Games' conclusion.

"Damn that bastard!" Natsu snarled, flames shooting from his clenched fists. "I won't let him get away again!"

"SILENCE!" Makarov bellowed, and everyone promptly settled down. "This is not the time for rash butting in! The foe we face this time is undoubtedly stronger than anything you've ever faced before."

I shivered with apprehension. "But during the eclipse, we not only battled Zeref, but a legion of dragons led by Acnologia himself!" Though in the end, the three Dragonslayers of our guild had joined forces with Sabertooth's Sting and Rogue to defeat the dragon king, we had all barely made it out with our lives. Sometimes, in the dark silence of the night, I still awoke in cold sweats, screaming from the nightmarish memories.

Everyone turned to look at me, their eyes reflecting their thoughts of agreement. Makarov wore a contemplative look as he rubbed his jaw. "Indeed. The enemy this time is one that threatens the entire world. But not just our world. The Spirit World may even be in danger if they succeed."

"Oh no…" I gasped, instinctively reaching for my keys where they hung in their pouch on my belt. _Spirits can't die, though!_ _What's going on?_

"What are we going to do, Master?" Erza asked in that infallible way of hers.

"Hmmn?" He raised an eyebrow at her as he peered around at all of us, crossing his arms. "We are going to do the only thing we can do, for the future of our world; fight. We will form an alliance with other guilds to bring down the ones who are threatening our world."

"An alliance?" Gray asked in surprise, jerking back slightly.

"An alliance," the elderly Master confirmed. "With five other guilds—Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, Mermaid Heel, Sabertooth…and Crime Sorcière."


	2. Chapter 2 - Alliance

Chapter Two – Alliance

_Erza_

"_What?!_" everyone yelled in unison.

"Sabertooth?! What're we doing with those bastards?" Gray demanded.

"Isn't it good to work with old friends again?" Mira asked, smiling serenely.

"Crime Sorcière?" Lisanna asked, cocking her head to the side. "Who's that?"

_Crime Sorcière…Jellal. _A nervous flutter went through my stomach as I thought of the blue-haired mage. It would be nice to see him again, but part of me was a little apprehensive. After all, it had been six months since I'd seen him, and the last time I'd spoken with him, we'd been too busy rushing our wounded off to get treated to have a real conversation.

I shook my head abruptly. This was not the time to be thinking about Jellal! We had a dangerous mission before us, and there was a good chance that not all of us would make it out alive. We needed to stay focused and keep our heads in the game.

"Alright, when are we gonna get this thing underway?" Natsu yelled, a ferocious smile on his face. "I'm all fired up!"

"Erza," Master Makarov said, handing me a slip of paper. "Here is the address of the meeting place. You are to be there tonight, so I suggest you all get a move on!"

"Yes! Understood." I bowed and looked around at the guild members assembled before me. "We're moving out in an hour!" I barked. "Be packed and ready to go in front of the guild, or you're getting left behind!" And with that, I turned and headed for my dorm room at Fairy Hills to pack my things.

The sun was just starting to sink below the horizon when we finally stood before the large inn at the edge of a small town called Acacia. A forest loomed behind the building, casting sinister shadows across the ground. For a moment, they seemed to be moving, reaching for us like outstretched fingers. I tensed and put my hand on the hilt of my sword. But before I could be sure of what I'd seen, the shadows were inanimate again, harmlessly reflecting the trees blowing gently in the wind.

I was drawn from my dark thoughts when Natsu and Gray cried out in dismay. "What?! What's this?! Blue Pegasus, again? Why do we always meet in their buildings?!"

Lucy and Wendy laughed nervously, rubbing the backs of their heads. "It does seem a little strange…" Lucy said hesitantly, looking up at the embossed symbol of a horse head above the door.

I looked around at them sternly. "As long as we're safe, it doesn't matter. Besides, with all the damage you two—" My gaze snapped to Natsu and Gray, who immediately leapt into each other's arms in terror. "—cause, we should be grateful that they are willing to let us use their guild's property at all."

"Y-yes!"

Satisfied that they would behave—for the next ten minutes, at least—I walked up to the door and knocked. After a moment, it swung open to reveal a spacious and brightly lit entry hall. Golden statues of winged horses lined the pink walls, plush, colorful sofas distributed amongst them. Standing in the center of the room were members from all the other guilds.

As we crowded into the room, my gaze roved over the assembled mages, taking stock of our new allies. From Blue Pegasus, the usual suspects—Hibiki, Ren, Eve and Ichiya. A shudder traveled up my body as I looked at the short, auburn-haired mage. I quickly focused my gaze elsewhere, lighting upon Lamia Scale's Jura, Lyon, Sherry and Chelia. Next to them were the two Dragonslayers from Sabertooth, Sting and Rogue. With them were Rufus, Orga and Yukino.

I blinked in surprise. _Yukino? Wasn't she kicked out?_ And yet, visible just above the low waistband of her light blue skirt was the white symbol of Sabertooth. I smiled to myself. _So they got a new Master. Good. _However, I saw that one of their members was missing. Minerva had clearly been the most powerful member of their guild when last we'd crossed paths, so I couldn't imagine why she wouldn't have been sent on this mission with the rest of their strongest members. And while I wasn't exactly fond of her, I could acknowledge that it would've been nice to have her power at our aid.

"Er-chan!" My attention swung to the girl with the short brown hair and cat ears who was racing across the hall to throw herself into my arms.

"Millianna!" I wrapped my arms around her and smiled, glad to see my old friend looking well. Glancing over her shoulder, I saw the rest of her guild's representatives from Mermaid Heel. Kagura gave me a respectful nod, which I returned. Risley, Arania and Beth stood behind her with polite smiles.

"Isn't it great? We get to work together!" She pulled back and beamed at me.

I nodded and made a noise of agreement. However, my gaze was sweeping the rest of the entry hall, searching for the final guild in our new alliance. But they weren't there.

Apparently Gray noticed the same thing. "Where's the fifth guild?"

Jura had apparently once again taken charge of things, for he was the one who responded. "Crime Sorcière arrived this morning. Since then, they've been in their room and have requested not to be present for the introductions this evening."

Disappointment settled in my stomach, though I wouldn't admit to it. As my gaze flickered to Kagura and Millianna, I found that I couldn't fault them. I could even see how it was for the best that they'd stayed away. After all, while I may have convinced the girls not to kill Jellal at the Magic Games, I was by no means foolish enough to believe that they'd forgiven him so easily for what he'd done in the past. No, it would take more than words for them to take that step.

"Great! We're all here." Natsu rubbed his hands together, a grin stretching across his face. "Now can we eat? I'm starving!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy piped in, raising his paw at Natsu's side.

"I don't remember you being this gluttonous last time we met." The blond Dragonslayer cocked his head and smirked. "I bet if we fought again, I could beat you easily."

"Yeah, Sting's been training!" Lecter, his red-brown Exceed added, grinning devilishly at Happy.

"Ahh? You wanna go, Droopy Eyes?" Natsu yelled, stepping forward. "Hey, Gray, this bastard has eyes like yours!"

"Shut up, you pointy-eyed bastard!" Sting and Gray shouted at the same time, turning to glare at each other.

"That's my line!" Gray snapped, stepping up alongside Natsu with his fist raised.

My lips twitched.

"You're welcome to challenge me, too, if you feel like getting whipped." Sting grinned viciously, beckoning them forward with one hand. Beside him, Rogue rolled his eyes and backed away a few paces.

My eyebrow twitched.

"Alright, here I come!" Gray and Natsu yelled together, preparing to leap into action. Sting sank into a fighting stance, bracing himself for their attack.

"ENOUGH!" I bellowed, storming over to Natsu and Gray. I grabbed their ears and twisted, making them gasp and cry out in dismay.

"I'm sorry!" they cried in unison.

"We're here to cooperate with each other to defeat a common evil. We can't do that if you three are going to be snapping at each other's throats the whole time! Show some respect for your guilds and don't make them regret sending you!" The three boys had the presence of mind to look down in shame. "Now. You three, shake hands with each other right now and apologize to everyone for wasting their time with your childish fighting."

"What?!" three incredulous voices piped up at the same time.

"You heard me!" I roared, my tone brooking no argument. At my furious glare, all three mages shut their mouths and glumly approached each other.

"I'm sorry, everyone," they mumbled, none of them meeting each other's eyes. Under my imperious stare, they reluctantly shook hands before slinking back to their spots in cowed silence.

Lucy shook her head and sighed wearily, holding her hands up in a helpless gesture. "Honestly. You could at least try to behave yourselves this time," she said pleadingly.

"Hang on, Lucy," Natsu whined. "That's not fair! He started it."

I glared at him again, and he promptly shut his mouth. Sighing, I closed my eyes and resigned myself to the fact that this was going to be a very difficult mission, especially if we couldn't even manage to cooperate within our own alliance.

_Master…_ I thought to myself. _Why? I just know this is going to blow up in our faces._ Sighing once again, I opened my eyes and steeled myself for the task ahead of us.


	3. Chapter 3 - Game Plan

A/N: First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who's been following along with this story and writing reviews. Your comments are all appreciated! Please continue to bear with me, as this is my first attempt at writing a fanfiction. I will try not to deviate from the character's real personalities, but let me know in a review if you disagree with anything! Finally, if you have a moment to spare, please feel free to leave me a review! I love hearing your thoughts.

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Chapter Three – Game Plan

_Jellal_

I looked down from my lofty position up on the third floor of the inn. With my back against the wall and the banister coming up to my chest, I was completely hidden in the shadows. This was the perfect place to watch the proceedings without attracting any attention.

And right now, I wanted to avoid attention as much as I could. After all, I was aware that Millianna hated me for what I'd done to them, and her dark-haired guildmate, Kagura, understandably loathed me for the death of her brother, Simon. The man who I had killed. I was still haunted by the memories of what I'd done, even though I now knew that I had been controlled. Controlled by the woman who now was the cofounder of my guild.

Crime Sorcière was an independent guild that we'd created to atone for our past sins. Currently, there were only six members of our guild, though only two of them were here with me for the alliance. The other three were off doing quests that would hopefully help at least some people regain a sense of hope for humanity. We three would be with them right now, if it weren't for the special clause in the Magic Council's rules that stated that in dire cases like this one, if all the other guild masters in an alliance agreed to allow an independent guild work with them, then it could.

From down below, I heard Jura explaining the plan to the other guilds. We'd already been debriefed earlier this morning, before anyone else had arrived. Along with the members of Crime Sorcière who had come with me, Ultear and Meredy, I'd had to bear through having Ichiya explain to us, which basically made me want to claw my own eyes out. Somehow, I'd felt uniquely uncomfortable with his scrutiny, almost as though I was being…checked out. Honestly, how could the Trimens stand it?

I shuddered at the memory and thought how lucky the others were that Jura was the one explaining everything to them. Even now, I heard his deep, calm voice as he laid out the plan for investigating further into the threat. All we knew so far was that the last place there had been a confirmed sighting of our targets was just outside another small town not twenty miles north of Acacia. That was where we were headed first thing tomorrow morning.

"Before we get there," the Saint Mage was saying, "we will be splitting into three groups. Each will go in a different direction to search for clues. Keep in mind to be very careful, as we do not know who we're dealing with yet. Try not to let anyone know what you're doing, though. If word of our investigation gets out, the enemy may take preemptive measures to eliminate us before we have a chance to succeed."

"Be on the lookout for any suspicious people, as well," Erza added, coming forward to address everyone. Her long hair cascaded down her back like a scarlet waterfall, and I smiled softly to myself as I recalled how silky and smooth it was. The smile faded when I thought to myself that I would most likely never have the chance to touch it again. _Because I told her that we can't be together…._ My fist clenched at my side, and I tried to turn my head to face straight ahead, but my gaze was glued fast to the beautiful mage. She looked like a battle goddess, strong and determined, but also compassionate and willing to sacrifice her own life for the lives of her friends.

I sighed. I knew I wasn't worthy of her, and yet all I could think of then was how much I wanted to take her in my arms and hold her. My chest literally ached, the desire was so strong. _Erza…_

Oblivious to my inner turmoil, Erza continued speaking down below. "There's a chance that the enemy might still be nearby, maybe even in the city itself. Within each group, everyone must always be with at least two other people at all times. And if by some chance anyone comes across any of our enemies this time, do _not_ attempt to engage them." She shot a fierce stare at Natsu as she spoke. He recoiled and smiled at her innocently. "It is imperative that you get back to the group as soon as possible. Do whatever you must to find the rest of your group, and I repeat, _do not_ try to fight them!"

"Titania is quite right," Jura added, looking around at everyone. "That is why you will each be given a signal flare to shoot off should anyone come across one of the enemy. Do not hesitate to use it if you feel you are in danger."

A chorus of murmurs arose at this news. "What is the likelihood that we will run into an enemy?" Kagura inquired over the noise. "And how are we supposed to recognize them if we see them? They would most likely be in disguise if they're still in the city."

Sting turned to her and grinned roguishly. "Scared, Mermaid? Don't worry, I'll protect you." He winked, and she just turned away with a stony look on her face.

"Rejected." Gray smirked at Sting's scowling face as Natsu burst into laughter.

"He lllllllikes you," Happy teased with an evil grin on his feline face. Kagura just huffed and looked away.

Ignoring the little interlude that had just occurred, Jura turned to Kagura and said in a measured voice, "That is an excellent point. We have prepared a special bracelet for everyone that will signify that they are a member of our alliance. As long as you are wearing the bracelet, you will be able to see the distress signal should anyone use it, and if you pass within a twenty-meter radius of anyone using magic to disguise themselves, it will alert you. Now, that's not to guarantee that if they are there they will be using magic. However, there is a good chance that they would, so this will at least give us some warning."

Everyone nodded thoughtfully, fighting forgotten for the moment as they considered this.

"Any questions?" Jura scanned the gathered mages, and when no one offered a question, he motioned for Ichiya to bring something forward. The short mage bowed dramatically and placed a black velvet bag in the Saint Mage's hand. My fingers traced the metallic curve of the silver bracelet around my left wrist as Jura reached into the bag to pull out a bracelet identical to the one I wore. "These are the bracelets that have been designed for our alliance. You will see that the initials of each guild have been etched into the metal. Once you put these on, I would ask that you not take them off for any reason until our mission is completed."

As he passed out the bracelets, I pushed myself off from the wall I'd been leaning against, knowing that they were finishing up. A flash of red caught my eye and I looked down to see that Erza had snapped her head around and was staring straight at me. My heart sped up as I stood frozen to the spot, unable to look away from her gaze. Her deep amber eyes seemed to pierce my very soul, time slowing around me. A faint smile curved her pink lips, and I swear my heart was beating loudly enough for the whole room to hear.

With a tremendous force of will, I was able to tear my gaze away and place one foot in front of the other all the way down the hall to the room I was sharing with Ultear and Meredy. Once I was on the other side of the door, I sagged against it and closed my eyes. _Why am I so affected? With just one look, I'm falling apart._

"How are things downstairs with the others?" Ultear's soft voice helped ground me in the present, and I opened my eyes to see her standing by the window on the other side of the room.

"They're doing fine. Jura told them the plan with relatively few hitches." I smiled at the memory of the hot-blooded Dragonslayers and pitied those who would be stuck in their group. While the others wouldn't find out who was in which group until tomorrow, I already knew how the groups were going to be divided. And there was one thing which I was feeling really unsure about, especially after seeing how much I'd been affected after seeing Erza again.

Because Erza and I were going to be in the same group.


	4. Chapter 4 - Let the Quest Begin!

A/N: This chapter's a little longer, but I hope you all like it! I know it's been a little slow, but I promise after this chapter it picks up a lot. As always, your reviews are appreciated! Arigato, minna-san!

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Chapter Four – Let the Quest Begin!

_Lucy _

The morning after we arrived at the Blue Pegasus inn, I awoke to a slight draft on the back of my neck and a pressure on my waist. Opening my eyes slowly, I immediately saw that there was a person in my bed.

"Kyaaah!"

At my outburst, Erza stirred from where she'd been sleeping with her head on my side. "What is it?" she asked groggily, looking up at me with half-lidded eyes.

I flopped onto my back and was about to sit up when movement to my left made me realize that there was _another_ person in my bed! Pink hair and a familiar white muffler filled my vision when I turned my head.

"_Natsuuu!_" I shrieked, wriggling to try to get out from under Erza's head and disentangle myself from the sheets.

A sleepy pair of dark eyes opened not five inches from my face. "Oh, good morning, Lucy," Natsu said casually. Happy was still sleeping, a blue fluffball curled up on Natsu's shoulder.

I was too busy trying to keep myself from having an anxiety attack to respond. _What are they doing in my bed?!_ My eyes were practically popping out of my head. There were four beds in each room, and somehow I'd ended up in the same room as Erza, Natsu and Gray. _Why does this keep happening to me? Honestly, I don't think I can handle any more of this…._

"Stop moving. You're making me fall off the bed," another voice complained.

"Gray?!" Sure enough, when I looked down, I saw the ice mage sprawled across my legs in nothing but his boxers, his own legs tangled up with Natsu's. _Juvia is going to kill me if she ever finds out about this…._ My eyebrow twitched as anger mounted inside. "EVERYBODY, OFF MY BED!" I roared, shoving them all off as I lunged into a sitting position. Happy cried out as he was launched from his perch on Natsu's shoulder, and glared at me from the air.

"Oof!" Natsu and Gray tumbled off the left side of my bed, landing in an unruly heap on the floor. Erza slid off the right side in a much more graceful manner, landing on her feet with a distasteful expression.

"Must you throw such a fit this early in the morning?" she complained, stretching her arms over her head and yawning.

"Must you all invade my bed without my permission all the time?! When did you guys get here, anyways?"

"Right after you fell asleep," Erza said with a sniff, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she crossed her arms over her chest.

My jaw dropped. "Weren't you asleep before I was?"

Natsu reached an arm up and used my bed to drag himself upright. "I woke her up when I tripped over her bed on my way to yours." He grinned impishly, crossing his arms behind his head.

"On your way to…WHAT WERE YOU DOING ON YOUR WAY TO MY BED?!"

"He llllllllikes you," Happy said smugly. It was a good thing he was in the air out of my reach, or I would've kicked him into next week.

"Shut up!" I yelled. I leapt to my feet, ready to knock some sense into Natsu. But on my way out of the bed, my legs became all twisted up in the sheets and I ended up crashing into him. I shrieked as we went down in a tangle of flailing arms and landed on Gray, who had just been trying to stand up.

Gray cursed and threw a punch at Natsu, who responded with a kick to Gray's shins. Unfortunately, I was caught up between them, still wrapped in my sheets. I screeched and tried to dodge their blows, but only succeeded in tangling us all up in the sheets.

"Stop fighting and so I can untangle these sheets!" I yelled, shoving them both away from me.

"Lucy, out of my way so I can beat this guy up!" Natsu exclaimed, trying to reach around me to get to Gray.

"You're the idiot who fell on me!" Gray returned, blocking Natsu's fist.

"Both of you shut up and stop moving!" I shouted, punching them both in the face. They were so stunned that they actually froze, blinking at me in shock.

"Lucy…" Gray said in surprise.

I had just gotten us untangled when a knock sounded on the door. "Come in!" Erza called. When I glanced over at her, I saw that she'd requipped her clothing to her usual armor while I'd been busy on the ground with Gray and Natsu.

_She could've helped me get untangled from these idiots…_I grumbled to myself. The door opened, and I saw Hibiki's dirty blond hair through the gap as he peered in.

"Everything alright in here? I heard a lot of shouting." He glanced over at the three of us still on the ground and raised an eyebrow.

"Shut up!" I barked, planting my hands on my hips. "We're all fine!"

He smiled knowingly and held his hands up in a placating gesture. "Alright. I just came by to tell you that we're assembling downstairs now. Get ready as quickly as you can and meet us down there when you're ready." With a final wink for me, Hibiki retreated and closed the door behind him.

I sighed. _Why do I get the feeling that I'm not done with these two?_

* * *

_Wendy_

"Wendy, are you listening to me?"

I blinked and looked down at the white cat standing in front of me, her paws planted on her hips in annoyance. "Yes, Carla. I'm sorry." I bowed my head in apology and tried to focus on what she was saying. I'd been looking around at all the mages gathering in the entry hall, trying to guess whose group I would be in. They were all milling around and talking casually, something I'd never seen before with so many mages from different guilds assembled in one place.

"I've already told you, I want you to stick close to Natsu-san today. He may be irresponsible, but when it comes down to it, he'll keep you safe."

I sighed. "What if he's not in my group?"

"Then stick close to the most powerful person in your group!" she huffed in annoyance.

I was about to say something else, but then I saw Natsu coming down the stairs with Lucy, Erza and Gray. "Natsu-san!" I waved enthusiastically, and the pink-haired Dragonslayer looked over at me with a grin.

"Wendy!"

"Carla!" Happy cried as he flew towards us with a lovestruck smile on his face. The others followed at a much more reasonable pace.

"Gray-sama!" The familiar wail sounded as a streak of blue flew past and launched itself at Gray.

"Juvia!" Gray looked like a deer caught in the headlights as the mage in question attached herself to his arm.

"Juvia's been worried sick about Gray-sama!" she wailed, clutching his arm possessively and shooting a burning glare at Lucy. "Juvia couldn't sleep last night because she was worried about Gray-sama sleeping in the same room as two girls! Juvia was terrified that something would happen to Gray-sama." She glared at Lucy again as she said that, and Lucy held up her hands in a defensive position.

"Oh? You didn't have to worry about Gray," Natsu said, blinking obliviously at Juvia. "We all slept in Lucy's bed, so we would've definitely woken up if someone had tried to attack him."

Juvia's teeth clacked together and she twitched sporadically for a moment. Then she emitted a noise that was part-growl and part-shriek and launched herself at Lucy.

"Eeeeek!" Lucy shrieked and ran behind Natsu, using him as a defensive barrier. "You idiot! Why would you say that to her?! Juvia! Calm down! It wasn't like you think! Kyaah!"

"Juvia will defeat her love rival! How dare she sleep in the same bed as Gray-sama under the same roof as Juvia! Juvia's shocked!" Juvia was pulling at Lucy's hair and trying to scratch her, and Lucy was crying in desperation.

"Juvia! That's enough!" Gray shouted, grabbing both girls and pulling them apart.

"But, Gray-sama…." Juvia looked up at him with teary eyes, and he jerked back in surprise.

"Juvia—" he began.

"How dare you yell at my Juvia-chan!" Another voice joined in the fray; Lyon, Gray's former fellow student.

"Lyon!" Gray said in irritated surprise.

"Juvia told you to stop using '-chan' with her name!" Juvia growled, marching over to Lyon, who'd come to stand just behind Gray.

"It warms my soul that the beautiful Juvia wants me to refer to her so personally," he declared elegantly.

Lucy used Juvia's distraction as an opportunity to scamper over to Erza and cower behind her. However, Juvia had apparently already moved on from her murderous rage, because she was back to fawning over Gray with overly lovey-dovey eyes.

Suddenly, the room went quiet. I looked up to see what was going on and saw Ichiya coming down the staircase, a sheet of paper in his hand. All eyes were on him as he came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, striking a dramatic pose. _That must be the list with our groups on it!_

"Thank you all for your patience!" he declared theatrically. "I shall now tell you the break-ups for the groups!" Everyone shifted closer in anticipation, eagerly awaiting the news. Standing a little behind him were the representatives from Crime Sorcière. All three of them had their hoods up, looking rigid and uncomfortable. I could feel the distrust—even hate—coming from some of the others, and felt bad for the three mages. They were only trying to atone for their sins and help us, but people still continued to hold their pasts against them. I sighed and wished there was some way I could help.

"In the first group," he began, assuming a new pose, "we have Fairy Tail's Natsu, Lucy and Gray, Sabertooth's Sting, Rogue and Yukino, Mermaid Heel's Kagura and Millianna, Blue Pegasus's Hibiki and Ren, Lamia Scale's Sherry, and Crime Sorcière's Ultear."

"Alright, Lucy!" Natsu exclaimed, giving the blond mage a high five. "And Yukino, too! Nice to see you again!" Yukino nodded and gave a little smile to Natsu and Lucy. Her guild-mates were considerably less excited about the grouping, as Sting scowled at Natsu and Rogue looked annoyed that Gajeel wasn't in their group.

Ren and Sherry smiled shyly at each other, a flush creeping into Sherry's cheeks. Kagura scowled when she heard that Sting would be in her group, and Millianna waved forlornly at Erza. When they all moved together in their group, Sting blew a kiss to Kagura, eliciting a deeper scowl from the swordswoman. I cocked my head to the side, though, wondering if I was imagining things or if there was actually a faint blush in her cheeks.

"The second group consists of Fairy Tail's Laxus, Juvia, Wendy, Elfman, Evergreen, Cana and Gildarts, Lamia Scale's Lyon and Chelia, Blue Pegasus's Eve, Sabertooth's Rufus, Mermaid Heel's Arania, and Crime Sorcière's Meredy."

I looked to Chelia and felt my face relax into a smile. "Chelia-sa—I mean, Chelia!"

"Wendy!" The bright pink-haired girl ran over to me and seized me in a great big hug. I laughed and squeezed her back. I was really happy that I was in the same group as Chelia, even though I was a little sad that Natsu wasn't with us.

"Ehhh? Why isn't Juvia in the same group as Gray-sama?" Juvia wrung her hands in despair as she moved to the place we were assembling for the second group. "Gray-sama!"

"Juvia," the silver-haired ice mage said, sweeping up dramatically. "Maybe this is fate that we are together." Juvia blinked at him, stunned, a slight blush creeping across her cheeks. Lyon turned to the first group and smirked at Gray. "Don't worry, Gray! I'll take good care of your water mage."

Gray frowned at the other ice mage's tone, but then he closed his eyes and nodded, a small smile relaxing his features. "Alright. I leave her in your hands, Lyon."

Juvia burst into dejected tears, reaching fruitlessly for Gray. "Juvia only has feelings for Gray-sama!"

Gray shrugged helplessly and turned to face his own group, leaving Juvia wailing after him until she saw another figure approaching her. A smile lit her features and, for the moment, at least, her devastation over being separated from Gray was forgotten. "Meredy-san!" The light purple-haired girl returned her smile as they embraced, and I smiled to myself, hoping that Juvia would be able to focus on the task at hand rather than Gray.

Elfman and Evergreen were pointedly ignoring each other, while next to them, Gildarts was fawning over Cana and practically weeping with joy that they were in the same group. It was something that still confused me—how he was so cool and controlled when he was with others, but around Cana, he became a mushy mess.

"And in the third and final group," Ichiya continued over the commotion, "Fairy Tail's Erza, Gajeel, Levy, Mirajane, Lisanna, Fried and Bixlow, Mermaid Heel's Risley and Beth, Lamia Scale's Jura, Sabertooth's Orga, Crime Sorcière's Jellal, and from Blue Pegasus, myself, Ichiya."

As the last group moved together, I saw that there were over two times more Fairy Tail mages than the others. I thought it was kind of strange, but I was glad for it because I trusted my own guild more than the others.

In group three, I saw Ichiya trying to sneak up behind Erza to sniff her hair. She yelled and swatted him away before calming down enough to reevaluate the wisdom of her actions. Calmly backing away from Ichiya, she accidently bumped into Jellal, who reached out a hand to steady her. They both blushed and hastily moved away from each other, and I suddenly looked at them with greater interest.

"Now that we have all split into our groups, it's time to move out!" Jura raised his voice so that everyone could hear him. "Group One will take the east road into the city, Group Two will take the south road, and Group three will take the west road. If you need to contact another group for any reason, use the communication cards Cana has supplied you with. I wish you all a safe trip. And remember, all groups are to reassemble here before sunset. Let the quest begin!"

I looked at Carla and took a deep breath. _This is it. There's no turning back from here._ I clenched my small fists and raised my eyes determinedly. A small hand covered mine, and I looked over to see Chelia smiling encouragingly at me. I nodded at her, and we set off after our group. _Yes. We can do this…we have to. The fate of the world rests in our hands._


	5. Chapter 5 - Divide and Conquer

A/N: A lot of info in this chapter! Hopefully it's getting more exciting, though.

* * *

Chapter Five – Divide and Conquer

_Natsu _

My stomach growled as we walked through the streets of the city. People milled around blissfully, unaware of our mission and the possible danger they were in. Acacia was a beautiful city, with lots of flowers and trees and nicely kept buildings. It was also full of enticing smells, I noted wistfully. The aromatic scents of fried fish, taiyaki, takoyaki and onigiri wafted past my sensitive nose, almost too much to bear. With a measure of annoyance, I saw that as long as I was with the group, I wouldn't be able to eat any. Maybe we could stop for lunch?

_But wait…as long as I'm with the group…_ "As long as I'm with the group," I muttered to myself. We'd been wandering the city for the better part of an hour already, but nothing had happened so far. We hadn't seen any hint of nefarious schemes at work, and no one had raised the alert on my suspicious person radar. Not for the first time, I wondered what exactly we were supposed to be looking for. As far as I could tell, there was nothing out of the ordinary with this city at all. _Are they sure this is the right city?_

"Natsu? Are you okay?" I turned to look at the blonde mage walking beside me. Lucy was watching me with curiosity and concern, and I realized that I had spoken aloud to myself.

"Oh, don't worry!" I said brightly, laughing and rubbing the back of my head. "Everything's just fi—" Abruptly, I cut off as an idea struck me like a bolt of lightning. "_Lucy!_" I reached for her suddenly, and she gasped and tried to jump away.

"Natsu! What are you doing?!" She swatted at my hand, but I was faster and clamped my hand around her slender wrist. A strange sensation prickled against my skin where it came into contact with Lucy's, almost like I was being shocked with Laxus's lightning. Except not painful. Whatever it was, I filed it away for later investigation and focused on my brilliant new idea.

"Come on, Lucy!" I grinned at her, tugging her arm to get her to follow me as I headed down a side street lined with food vendors and jewelry boutiques. "We'll be more inconspicuous with just the two of us!"

"What about me?" Happy cried, sobbing as he flew after us. "Natsu, you're so mean!"

"I'm sorry! And Happy!" I added as an afterthought, smiling in apology at my blue Exceed. "We're basically the same person, so I just figured it would be unnecessary to explicitly include you."

He stuck his tongue out at me, clearly not buying my excuse.

"Natsu!" Gray called out behind us. "What are you doing?"

I turned to flash him a reassuring grin, taking great amusement in his irritated expression. "We'll meet up with you guys later! We want to do some investigating on our own for a little bit. You know, to cover more ground."

A few of the others in our group exchanged knowing glances, but the others looked unsure as to whether they should let us go or not. I took a moment to offer up a silent prayer of thanks that Erza wasn't in our group; there would've been no freedom under her demon eye.

As I led a still-protesting Lucy further into the side street, I heard a set of footsteps running behind us. I glanced over my shoulder, expecting to see an enraged Gray coming after us. Instead, I saw Yukino, her short white hair flopping against her head as she ran after us. A very flustered looking Hibiki took off after her, calling for her to wait up. I was so surprised that I came to a stop, and she caught up to us with Hibiki right behind her.

"Huh? What are you guys doing?" I looked over their shoulders to where the rest of the group stood in the mouth of the street, already recovering from their shock. Ultear had her arm held out to keep an indignant Gray from coming after us.

"I thought it would be better if you guys had someone else with you. Just in case something happens." Yukino suddenly looked down in embarrassment, twin roses blooming across her cheeks.

"And I couldn't let a beautiful woman go off on her own after you two," Hibiki added with an over-the-top bow for Yukino. The color in her cheeks deepened and she turned away to conceal her blush.

"Well, let's get going before the others come after us and we attract any more attention than we already have," Lucy said with a hint of annoyance in her voice. And yet, I noticed that she'd stopped trying to yank her arm out of my grasp. I grinned impishly and urged the others down the street. We proceeded with a much calmer atmosphere, and I felt the others relax as we moved further away from the rest of the group. Once we were far enough away, I could put my plan into action—after all, what could be more inconspicuous than buying street food?

* * *

_Gray_

I watched their retreating backs as they went off down the side street, happily chatting amongst themselves. A growl rose in my throat as I narrowed my eyes at the bloated pink head of the impulsive Dragonslayer. What did he think he was doing? Didn't he know how foolish it was to separate from the group? What if they ran into trouble and someone got injured? I had no doubt that Natsu would leap into a fight if he found one of these elusive enemies. And while I knew—perhaps better than anyone—how powerful Natsu was, I still found myself worried that this would be the one time he got himself into trouble he couldn't fight his way out of.

I looked over at the Crime Sorcière woman who had her arm stretched out in front of me, preventing me from following after them. What did she think she was doing? It was bad enough that they were going off with just the four of them, not to mention that Hibiki was no good in a fight and the celestial spirit mages would be useless should they be separated from their keys. They needed another person who could play the voice of reason and prove invaluable in a fight, should it come down to it.

A huff of irritation escaped me, though I tried to hide it and remain calm. "Let me go after them," I insisted, stepping forward with my fist raised in conviction.

Ultear shot me a narrowed look and smacked her arm back against my chest. "You will stay with us," she declared imperiously.

"But—"

"You don't need to worry about them. This might actually be for the best. After all, now they just look like two innocent couples out for a stroll through the market."

I jerked back in surprise and returned my gaze to the four mages walking away from us. My eyes nearly bugged out of my head when I saw Natsu take Lucy's hand in his own and guide them towards one of the takoyaki stalls. Hibiki, of course, immediately put his hand on the small of Yukino's back to direct her after them, acting every part the gentleman.

"That is also…love." I looked over to see Sherry clasping her hands to her chest and staring wistfully after them, delicate splashes of pink coloring her cheeks.

"You are seriously just too cute," Ren murmured in her ear, coming up beside her to put his arm around her waist.

I backed up a few steps and Ultear put her arm down, apparently satisfied that I wouldn't go storming after Natsu and the others. Glancing to my right, I saw Sting sling his arm around Kagura's shoulders with a devil-may-care smile. "How about we go off on our own?"

Kagura turned her head away with a look of annoyance, her long black hair swishing between them like a curtain. "Hmph." And yet she made no move to shrug his arm off her shoulder. The blond Dragonslayer exchanged a knowing look with his Exceed, Lecter. Apparently he had realized this, as well, and interpreted it as a sign of interest.

"You guys are all crazy," I grumbled to myself, turning away from all the displays of affection.

"Let's keep moving," Ultear said, moving past me as she continued down the street we were on. "We still have our mission to focus on. If you want to make advances, do it on your own time."

"Fro thinks so, too." The green Exceed smiled complacently, turning to follow after the Shadow Dragonslayer as we all made our way down the street and moved further away from Natsu and the others.

* * *

_Lyon_

"Can we take a break for lunch?" Chelia asked, addressing no one in particular. We'd been walking around the south side of the city for over an hour, sending smaller, covert groups into bars and newspaper booths to see if they could overhear anything as the rest of us lingered outside. Just a few minutes ago we'd sent Cana and Rufus into a bar, and were currently pretending to look around in a bookstore across the street.

I looked around at everyone's expectant faces, trying to decide if we should take a short break. "I don't see a problem with that, once Cana and Rufus return." Just to show respect for seniority, I glanced over at Gildarts to see if he had any objection. As he was too busy sweet-talking the store assistant, I assumed that he had none. Honestly, considering his age and reputation as one of the most powerful mages in Fiore, I was surprised at how lax he could be on the job. However, I was okay with taking charge in our group.

Not too long after that, the two mages we'd sent into the bar returned. Judging from the rosy glow in Cana's cheeks, she had taken her job at blending in a little too seriously. _Oh well,_ I told myself. _We knew that this would happen when we sent her in. At least she did a good job of blending in. _

"Did you hear anything?" I asked them when they came close enough that I could talk without being overheard by outsiders. With some amusement, I noticed how quickly Gildarts had turned away from the curvaceous sales woman when Cana had approached. The poor woman was now regarding him in confusion, until she saw his gaze on the other woman. Misinterpreting his attentions, she gave him a disgusted look and sauntered off.

Rufus tipped his hat a little lower. "We overheard a conversation between two older men about some mysterious behavior from citizens on the west side of town. Apparently, they've been disappearing into the woods during the night and then returning in the morning, just as mysteriously as they'd gone. Anyone who tries to follow them becomes lost and ends up back where he started. That is all."

Chelia and Wendy gasped and reached for each other in fear. My brow drew together in a frown. "That is concerning. I don't know if it has anything to do with our mission, but we should warn the third group about it nonetheless, since it's been happening in their area. Maybe they'll find something. Cana?"

"Understood." She pulled out one of her communication cards and connected to the third group. After she finished explaining, we agreed to find some food.

"Juvia-chan? What would you like to eat?" I smiled winningly at the blue-haired woman walking alongside me.

"Juvia-chan would like—hey, stop calling Juvia with a '-chan'!" She scowled at me. Chelia came up on my other side, then, pouting.

"Lyon-sama, why don't you ask me what I want to eat?" she asked, aiming a glare at Juvia. The other mage returned her glare, and I rushed to mediate the conversation.

"Why don't you both tell me what you would like to eat? I'm sure we can find a place around here that serves both." Chelia regarded me with annoyance while Juvia turned away in a huff. I resisted the urge to sigh, wondering what it would take for her to look at me the way she looked at Gray.

"A flower, for the pretty ladies?" A debonair young man in a neatly pressed suit approached us from one of the floral stands lining the street, two blooming roses extended in his bejeweled hand. Chelia fluttered and preened as she accepted the rose, and Juvia blushed modestly as she brought the flower to her nose. Twirling away dramatically, the man produced another rose from the sleeve of his suit jacket and offered it to Cana. "For you, my lady."

Something about the roses bothered me, and I assumed it was just the fact that another man was giving my Juvia a flower. I narrowed my eyes as I watched the florist recede back to his stall, a bright smile on his face. Just before he disappeared. My eyes widened, and I glanced back to the girls who had received the flowers. The others had continued walking while I'd stopped to stare at the man in the suit, and were already several stands ahead of me.

On a frantic urge, I sprinted after them. "Juvia! Wait! Drop that ro—"

She turned to look at me just as the flower in her hands exploded, sending her flying backwards. Cana and Chelia screamed as they were thrown backwards, too, their own roses exploding. The other members of our group looked around frantically, trying to pinpoint the source of the explosion. Rufus looked back towards the flower stall, connecting the dots.

I raced forward, barely managing to throw my body beneath Juvia's before she hit the ground. Lying there with Juvia cradled in my arms, I took a moment to assess the damage. Her clothes were torn and charred, and she was unconscious with several rivulets of blood trickling down her face. Fury seized me as I looked up. Eve was holding Chelia and Gildarts was carrying Cana in his arms, a look of pure rage on his face. His aura of power was surging up, a new wind stirring the coverings of the stalls nearby.

"Lyon!" Wendy was standing by Chelia, but she wasn't looking at the injured Godslayer. Her gaze was trained on the citizens around us, fear coloring her voice. I focused my gaze on past her then, and my blood ran cold.

The citizens were surrounding us, their eyes empty white orbs as they closed in around us. "Death Strike will come for you. And you will all be dead by the time the clock strikes midnight."

* * *

_Erza_

After walking for an hour, we still hadn't found much conclusive evidence for the reported presence of this mysterious enemy. Everyone seemed happy and normal, perhaps just a little too normal. The only interesting thing to happen was when, relatively early on, I'd had to stop to lay down a few rules with everyone, for my own mental sanity. The foremost among them had been that _no one_—*cough cough Ichiya*—was allowed to utter the word 'parfum' within ten meters of me or disrupt the investigation with their incessant sniffing and posing. Thankfully, Ichiya had gone off to sulk at the front of our group, where he could bother those with longer fuses like Jura.

Sighing to myself, I refocused my efforts on trying to detect anything off about the people around me. For the fifth time in as many minutes, someone nodded and smiled at me, thanking me for visiting Acacia. _These people are giving me the creeps. No one is this friendly in the city, not to mention that they shouldn't know everyone well enough to know who's a visitor and who isn't. _

"Thank you for visiting our beautiful city of Acacia." The man nodded at me and smiled, but it seemed like his eyes weren't really seeing me. Anxiety gnawed at my insides, and I looked around to see if any of the others were noticing this strange behavior.

Jellal, who had been walking a few steps ahead of me, fell back to keep pace at my side. "This isn't normal behavior," he murmured, keeping his gaze trained on the passing civilians. I glanced at him, uncomfortably aware of his proximity, and the way his hand accidentally brushed mine as we walked. His brow was furrowed as he tried to fit an explanation to the strange behavior, and I had the strangest desire to run my hands through his soft blue hair.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed," I replied, keeping my voice low. "Do you think this has anything to do with the strange behavior Group Two reported hearing about?"

Jellal glanced over at me, his expression thoughtful. "It's possible. I have no idea what this behavior might mean. Maybe we should wait until tonight to try to follow some of them when they leave the city."

I opened my mouth to respond when a soft sound from behind an empty food cart made me pause. Looking over, I saw an elderly woman, peering cautiously out from behind the cart. After looking both ways to make sure no one else had noticed her, she beckoned us towards her. She had an urgent look on her face, and for some reason, her actions struck me as strange in comparison to the usual behavior exhibited by the citizens of Acacia.

Glancing over at Jellal, I saw that he was looking at me warily, a question in his eyes. I nodded, and looked past him at the rest of the group, unaware of our situation. Mirajane turned then and saw us, a questioning look on her face. I froze for a moment, certain the others would notice. Or more specifically, Ichiya. Making my decision, I waved her on, a silent message to carry on without us. We would catch up with them later, I decided. But for some reason, I just felt that we needed to speak with this woman.

We approached her cautiously, and she beckoned us forward with greater urgency. Then she turned and slipped into the narrow mouth of an alley partially concealed behind the abandoned food cart. We followed after her and saw her turn to look at us before disappearing through a door in the wall. I exchanged a glance with Jellal, and this time he nodded with resolve. When we stepped through the doorway, I saw that we'd entered a small home. It was poorly cared for, with dust covering what few pieces of broken furniture there were, and the threadbare rugs on the floor were worn through with holes. My gaze sought out the old lady who had led us in here, and found her hunched by the one window, peering out to make sure we hadn't been followed. Once she was satisfied, she closed the door behind us and motioned us further into the room.

"What is it?" I asked, determination settling over me.

She turned her face to us and I saw that tears were sliding down her weathered cheeks. "You must help us. I'm sorry to have to ask this of you, but we have no other choice."

"What's wrong?" Jellal asked, his voice surprisingly gentle despite the gravity of his tone.

"It all began about a week ago," she began, her thin voice wavering. "Some strange people showed up in Acacia, demanding that we give them five mages to be used as some sort of sacrifice. Of course we refused. But then, that night, five young mages went missing. We were out searching for them until dawn. However, all of a sudden, as soon as the sun rose over the horizon, they all emerged from the forest. They were unharmed, except for a single mark on their foreheads. The mark of a rose, weeping blood."

I shuddered, phantom screams echoing in my mind. "Did they say anything about where they'd gone?"

"No. That was where things got even stranger." She paused, sighing heavily. "All the victims had no recollection of anything that had happened to them that night. They all emerged from different parts of the forest, and aside from the strange mark, the only similarity they all shared was that…they had been drained of magic. Permanently."

A chill went up my spine and I looked at Jellal in alarm. This was the enemy we had to face? I'd never heard of a magic that could permanently drain a person's magic. To mages, their magic was all but their very life force. My resolve strengthened when I thought of all my friends who were counting on me, and I knew that for their sake—and for the sake of the entire world—I would not fail in this mission. No matter how much it frightened me.

"Permanently?" Jellal asked, taking a step closer to the old woman. "That should be impossible." A hint of underlying uncertainty edged his calm voice, and I felt another tendril of fear wrap itself around my heart. _Jellal has never shown fear, not once in all the years I've known him. _Concern and a sense of danger, but never fear.

"I don't know how they did it." A terrible, dead look suddenly passed over her face. "But they got my granddaughter. She hasn't been the same since. It's like she's a completely different person. She can't remember anything about ever having had magic at all.

"But worse than that—along with every other person living in this city, my granddaughter has become dead to the world, a clone. Sure, they go about their regular routines, but that's all it is, like clockwork. What few visitors there still are in Acacia have started to notice the strange behavior. They will shortly be…eliminated." Her demeanor suddenly changed, from defeated and weary to tense and frightened. "You have to leave, now! They will find you, they will kill you! No, worse. You must escape!" She lunged frantically toward me, her eyes wide with terror. Jellal immediately stepped in front of me, blocking the old woman's advances. She gripped his shirt desperately, begging us with her eyes. "Save her…save my Lydia…."

Just as suddenly as her frenzy had begun, it ceased. She collapsed to her knees, a withered old woman breathing heavily. And then she went still. A terrible stillness, like all hope—all life—had completely deserted her. She raised her head slowly, and I saw that her eyes were rolled back in her skull, only the whites showing as they glowed eerily in the light filtering through the single window.

"It is too late," she said in a low monotone. "They come."

* * *

A/N: Wow, things sure are heating up. Let me know in a review what you think will happen to our favorite bunch of mages, and if you think the enemy this time might be too much for even the alliance. ;)


	6. Chapter 6 - Death Strike

A/N: Hey guys, this is what I've been working on instead of homework, so I hope you like it! xD I know I certainly enjoyed writing it. ;) Thanks for all the continued support! Also, if you have any complaints about the pairings in this story, I would ask that you either keep them to yourself or express them in a civilized manner, as you are the one who decided to read this story. Thank you. (Meaning no slamming my pairings. :P I have them just the way I like them, thank you. But do feel free to express any…concerns...you may have with the pairings, as long as they're done with a kind spirit :) I may be open to suggestions.)

**Disclaimer: Just in case you somehow missed the label, this is, in fact, a romance fanfic. This chapter exemplifies that fact, so before you read on, consider yourself forewarned. :)**

* * *

Chapter Six – Death Strike

_Jellal_

I grabbed Erza and fell to the ground just as an explosion rocked the building and made the ground shake like a giant monster was trying to break free. Tucking her head under my body, I covered her head and cradled it to my chest, blocking her from the rain of flaming debris. A quick glance to the left revealed that the old woman hadn't been as fortunate; her body fell limply to the ground, a chunk of the rafter protruding from her chest. If I hadn't moved when I had, Erza and I both would've found ourselves in a similar predicament.

"Jellal!" Erza cried, struggling to free her arms. I could still feel the building falling around us, flaming pieces scalding my back where they fell. I grimaced at the pain, but no way was I letting her get hit. "Jellal…." There were tears in her voice this time, as she gradually ceased her struggles.

"Erza…." I shifted to meet her gaze, a small smile raising the corners of my lips. "I will not let one hair of your scarlet head get injured. I promise." I gently cupped her cheek with my hand, embedding every fiber of her beautiful face in my memory. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she looked up at me, and right then, I knew that if I could go back and do something over in my life (when I wasn't being controlled), it would be that evening on the beach, before the Grand Magic Games. Because only now did I fully grasp the concept of living your life to the fullest, with no regrets. I'd lived enough of my life in agony, both in my own and the pain of those around me. But no longer would I allow myself to be caught up in a past I couldn't change. _Erza was right after all. It does take more courage to live…for those you love._

I smiled to myself as realization stole over me. _I misunderstood the purpose of my own guild. It's not to punish ourselves for our past, but to help others—and ourselves—turn over a new leaf and find a new reason to live. It's to learn how to heal a shattered heart. To learn how to love again. _

With renewed fervor, I made my decision. If we lived through this, I would spend the rest of my life at the side of this absolutely incredible woman, no matter the cost to myself. Because when I was with her, my heart came alive. Erza was my purpose for living. She inspired me to do better, to _be_ better. And that was something that I couldn't let go of again.

Time seemed to slow as I lowered my face to hers. I heard her breath hitch and felt it fan sweetly across my face. And then, my lips closed over hers, ever so gently. She tasted deliciously like strawberries and vanilla, and I found myself hungering for more. Erza grabbed onto the collar of my jacket and tugged it closer to her, tilting her head to deepen the kiss. I was vaguely aware of the building rapidly crumbling around us, but at that moment, I didn't care. All that mattered was the pressure of Erza's lips against mine, and the solid feel of her body beneath me. My fingers tangled in her scarlet hair as the kiss took on a desperate edge. Our tongues danced and twined around each other as our tears flowed freely, mixing together as they coursed down our faces.

With a final groan of burning wood, the rest of the building collapsed around us. Breathing raggedly, I pulled back and smiled bravely down at Erza just as a large piece of the roof struck the back of my head. Dark spots danced across my vision and I could taste blood in the back of my throat.

I heard Erza screaming my name, but then my world disappeared and I knew nothing more.

* * *

_Lucy_

I watched as Natsu consumed his twenty-fourth takoyaki with a noise of satisfaction. He'd apparently decided that the best way to blend in was to enter an eating contest, so we'd been sitting in a street-side café for the past ten minutes, watching him devour first fifteen bowls of noodles, and now twenty-four octopus balls. Make that twenty-five. His opponent was a middle-aged man with dark brown hair and a stomach that suggested he was no stranger to eating contests. But he was clearly out of his league with the gluttonous Dragonslayer, as he was only barely managing to keep up and was already turning green.

"Has he always been this way?" Yukino asked, turning to me with an incredulous expression. Hibiki was just outside the café, using his Archive to communicate with the leaders of the other groups—Gildarts and Jura.

"Aye," Happy replied smugly, gnawing on a fried fish-kabob Natsu had bought for him. "Natsu's unbeatable when it comes to eating!"

As if to prove the Exceed's point, Natsu reached for another takoyaki and grinned gleefully at his opponent. "Ready to admit defeat?"

The older man looked like he was about to say yes, but his small son latched onto the back of his chair and jumped up and down, cheering his father on. The man was spared, however, when a frantic Hibiki came sprinting up to us, his face paler than I'd ever seen it before.

"Hibiki, what's wrong?" I asked, immediately snapping to attention.

"Bad news, guys!" he cried. I'd never seen him so flustered, and it scared me. "I just spoke with Gildarts, and he says they're under attack! I couldn't get too many details, though, because he had to concentrate on fighting. And then I got ahold of Jura, and he told me that Jellal and Erza are missing. Apparently Mirajane saw them go off into a side alley after an old woman, but they haven't seen them since. And just now they heard an explosion coming from that direction, but when they turned to go investigate, they suddenly found themselves unable to move. Jura tells me that none of them can use magic, either, so they're sitting ducks out there!"

Natsu leapt to his feet, his eyes wide as he grabbed Hibiki by the collar of his shirt. "Is Erza okay? Have you been able to contact her, dammit?"

Hibiki grabbed Natsu's hands and tried to pry them off. "I tried to contact her, but I couldn't get through. Jellal's blocked, too. I could try—" Suddenly, he cut off and staggered backwards, as though he was dizzy.

"Hibiki-san?" Yukino asked, coming to stand alongside him. I exchanged a worried look with her when he didn't respond.

As abruptly as he'd cut off, he straightened, his back rigid as he stared straight ahead. Only, his eyes had rolled back into his sockets, revealing only the whites of his eyes. I gasped and took an involuntary step backwards, my back colliding with something solid. Turning, I saw that I had backed into the man who'd been having the eating contest with Natsu just moments ago. His eyes were also rolled back in his skull.

"They are coming," Hibiki said in a terrible monotone. "We will crush you and feast on the blood of the mages, until every last drop of magic is drained. Death Strike is here."

I screamed, stumbling away from the man behind me. Natsu slugged Hibiki in the temple, and the Archive mage crumpled into the Dragonslayer's arms, unconscious. Yukino stood frozen to the spot, staring in horror at Hibiki's limp form as Natsu slung it over his back.

"Come on, Lucy, Yukino!" he cried, turning to run from the café with Happy flying right behind him. We didn't need another prompt—we turned and raced after him as he zigzagged around the ignorant citizens, running back down the way we'd come. "We've got to find the rest of the group!" He growled a curse as he got stalled behind a little old man pushing an apple cart. Then he gave up and leaped over the cart, making the man cry out in fright and drop the handles of the cart. Apples spilled into the street, bouncing and rolling every which way.

I gasped as I had to leap over a river of apples flowing towards me, and darted around the overturned cart. "I'm sorry!" I shouted hastily to the merchant as I passed, desperate to catch up to Natsu. I heard Yukino cry out behind me as she tripped over a mound of apples. Turning to help her stand, I saw that all the civilians we'd passed were running after us, their eyes empty and white just like Hibiki's had been.

"What's going on?" I shrieked, pulling Yukino to her feet. Gasping for breath, we turned to continue after Natsu, but were brought up short when we realized that we were completely surrounded.

"Death Strike is here," they droned, repeating it over and over again like a chant.

Yukino cried out and grabbed onto my arm while flourishing one of her Gate Keys at the surging crowds. I looked around frantically for any sign of pink hair. "Natsu!" I yelled, desperately willing him to appear. "_Natsu!_"

Finally accepting the fact that we were on our own, I turned to Yukino with a sick feeling in my stomach. Whatever was going on, these people were still innocent citizens of Acacia. We couldn't just attack them. Maybe they were being controlled somehow.

"Lucy-sama, what do we do?" the other celestial spirit mage asked, regaining a little of her composure. I took a deep breath, trying to appraise the situation through a calm eye.

"We shouldn't attack unless absolutely necessary," I replied, turning to keep as many of the people in my sights as possible. "But I think we need to be prepared to fight our way out of here by ourselves, if it should come to it." I reached into my key pouch and withdrew Taurus's key, clutching it tightly in my shaking hand. I really didn't want to have to fight the townspeople, and I prayed that they would snap out of it quickly.

With a cry of anger, one of the men in the crowd surged towards us, his fists raised to attack. I yelled and swept my key down in an arc between myself and the approaching man. "Gate of the Bull, I open thee! Taurus!"

If these people were determined to fight, then so be it. We would fight our way out or die trying.

* * *

_Gray_

"What's going on?" I asked angrily, keeping my eye on the wall of people that had formed in front of us. Only the whites of their eyes were showing, and they kept muttering about some death strike or other. On top of that wacko behavior, I wasn't able to contact Hibiki or any of the other groups, which worried me more than anything. At least someone should have been able to respond, even if they were in the middle of something. I didn't want to let my mind consider what that 'something' might be, especially seeing how quickly things had escalated here.

"They appear to be under some type of mind control." Ultear's cool, controlled voice came from behind me, and I glanced back to look at her incredulously. Her gaze narrowed as she took in our situation with calculating eyes.

"Mind control?" Sting asked from my other side, already in a fighting stance. "Who's controlling them?"

Kagura came up behind us, her hand resting on the hilt of her katana. "Based off of what we've seen here and Gray's inability to make contact with the others, we can reasonably assume that we're not the only ones experiencing this. Though I don't know much about it, I do know that mind control is an ancient magic that takes enormous amounts of magic power to wield, especially on such a large scale as this."

"If that is the case," Ultear said darkly, "we can only assume that this is the work of the dark mages we are here to defeat."

A high-pitched, breathy chuckle echoed around us, coming from everywhere at once. "So, you're the guild alliance that thinks it can defeat us?" We all tensed and spun around, looking for the owner of the voice. My teeth ground together in frustration when we still couldn't see any sign of her.

"Come out and face us, you coward!" I yelled, wondering if the person had concealed themselves amidst the crowd of townspeople. Whoever they were, we would show them that we were not to be underestimated. Especially not when the fate of the world rested on our shoulders.

Laughter pealed off the buildings around us, smothering me with the feel of dark magic. It seemed to be seeping from the very ground and saturating the air I breathed with malice and destructive will. Just when I thought nothing would happen, a flash of movement in my periphery made me snap my head around to see a figure standing on the roof of a building to our left. It was a woman with long purple hair, clad in a black dress with a plunging neckline and a train that pooled around her bare feet. A silver insignia of a scythe was sewn onto the hip of her dress, glinting metallically in the sickly yellow light filtering through the clouds that swept in overhead.

A sudden, oppressive silence descended on us. Then, as one, the townspeople bowed to the woman. "Behold the lady Elme, Death Strike's beloved mind controller." The woman grinned down at us, a chilling, dangerous smile. I hissed and gathered my power to me, preparing to battle.

* * *

_Wendy_

I fell back to catch my breath as the fight raged on around me. Hesitant as we'd originally been to attack the townspeople, we'd been given no choice in the matter when they began firing on us with guns and flamethrowers. Strangely, I couldn't sense any magic power from any of the people themselves, even though their auras were steeped with it.

We were standing in a tight ring around our injured comrades, protecting them from the onslaught of the townspeople. The eeriest thing about them was that their faces were entirely devoid of emotion, even as they pointed their guns at us and fired. And no matter how many we dispatched (without killing them), there were always more to take their place. _I thought this was a small town_, I thought frantically to myself as I used my Roar of the Sky Dragon to blow away a swath of people. _How can there be this many people?_

"These people aren't all just from Acacia," Rufus said, deflecting an attack with his Memory magic. "I remember them, from other towns along the seashore."

My suspicions confirmed, I asked, "So why are they all here?"

"Clearly someone wanted them here," Lyon said, freezing a horde of civilians. His deep voice was strained, and I could tell he wanted to check on the women in the middle of our circle. Though I'd done my best to heal them after the explosions, they had yet to regain consciousness. "I'd be willing to bet that the enemy knew we were coming and prepared a little welcoming party." He grinned feverishly, lashing out with more force than I thought was strictly necessary.

Beside me, Carla suddenly gasped. She fell to the ground and held her head, her eyes wide as she watched a future only she could see. "Carla! Are you okay?"

After a moment, she weakly lifted her head, meeting my eyes with fear in her own. "Wendy, you have to leave, now! Tell everyone to get out of here!" Her small white body was shaking with fear, and terror seized my heart as I bent to peer into her eyes.

"What is it? What did you see?"

"There's no time for that!" she cried. "He's coming and you have to leave _now!_"

Beside me, Chelia looked over in alarm. "We're completely surrounded by the townspeople. We can't get through!"

Starting to panic, I looked back to the Exceed. "Who's coming, Carla?"

A massive explosion suddenly shook the ground, throwing me to the earth with enough force to rattle my skull. For a moment, the only sound I heard was a high-pitched whistle echoing in my head. Crying out, I covered my ears with my hands and tried to see through all the smoke that had billowed around us. Harsh coughs wracked my body as I felt along the ground, trying to find someone. Tears rolled freely down my sooty cheeks as the smoke stung my eyes.

"Carla! Chelia!" I called, pausing to cough.

"Wendy!" I heard Chelia voice coming from somewhere to my right, and I crawled my way over to her. My hand reached out and clasped her arm when I saw her, huddled on the ground with tears streaming down her face. Her pink hair was nearly black with soot and smoke, and a trickle of blood was seeping down her forehead. Cradled in her lap was Carla, lying unconscious with streaks of soot staining her white fur.

I cried out and reached a trembling hand out to her, assuring myself that she was still breathing. "Where is everyone?" I asked, rubbing my streaming eyes and looking around. I distantly heard the sounds of fighting going on, but I had no way of knowing who it was or how it was going.

"Maybe we should stay here," Chelia suggested, her voice wavering slightly. "You know, wait for the smoke to clear and for someone to find us."

I reached for my resolve, firmly taking hold of it. "We can't just wait around for someone to find us and hope it's one of our allies. We need to rejoin with the group as soon as possible. I have an idea. Let's use our sky magic to blow away the smoke, and then we can find everyone else!"

"Mm!" Chelia nodded bravely, passing Carla to me. I nodded, and we stood up, pressing our backs together.

"Ready?" I called. I felt her nod, and we took a deep breath of air, trying not to choke on the thick, acrid smoke. "Sky Dragon's…"

"Sky God's…"

"Roar!" we yelled together, unleashing our magic.

However, when the smoke cleared, what we saw made me wish that we hadn't done it. The rest of our group was all lying on the ground, not moving. And standing not ten meters away from us was the man in the suit who had given the girls flowers earlier. His handsome face was tilted to the side, a crazed smirk on his face.

"Death will strike," he said giddily. "Now bow to the power of Aprindere, the lord of the flames!"

* * *

_Gajeel_

I roared my frustration as I once again struggled to summon my Dragonslayer magic, and once again failed. Even worse, I couldn't even move my body. Try as I might, I couldn't get so much as a finger to twitch. All I could do was watch the black smoke and flames rise into the sky and wonder if Erza and that blue-haired mage had made it out alright. I had to believe they did, or I might have given up by now. Once again, I tried to turn my arms into iron swords, but was just as unsuccessful as all the previous times.

My gaze traveled to Jura, wondering if the Saint Mage was fairing any better. My jaw nearly hit the ground when I saw him standing immobile, a tortured look on his usually stoic face as he found he was unable to break away from the tight hold Ichiya had on him.

"I-Ichiya…" I said, feeling the urge to shift uncomfortably.

"In the split second before we were frozen, I smelled a dangerous parfum. My quick reflexes told me to latch onto something powerful, so here I am. Men!" He seemed completely unfazed by the position he was stuck in, and I had a fleeting moment of sympathy for Jura before the dark humor of the situation sank in.

"Gee hee." I grinned at the Saint Mage with a look that said "sucks for you!" But then I was brought back to the issue at hand and my amusement faded, replaced by anger. "Jura, what is this?" I demanded, indicating our motionless, powerless state. At least we were still able to talk. Pantherlily grunted in annoyance, having fallen from the air when our magic had disappeared. He was now lying facedown in a most undignified manner, and I had to resist the urge to snicker.

"I do not know," Jura said thoughtfully, doing his best to ignore the short mage frozen to him. "It does not feel like a magic drain; I can still feel my power, but there is a sort of block on it preventing us from accessing it."

"It is weak, though." I turned to face Levy in surprise. Her tone was confident, and she had a sly smile on her pixie-like face.

"Go on," I growled. I don't know why, but it felt strange that she was the one coming to our rescue. Maybe it was her size; she was barely a waif of a girl, and I could pick her up with one hand, for goodness' sake! Immediately, I chided myself. _She may be small, but I keep forgetting how powerful she really is. Not to mention she's got that damned smart brain of hers…._

"Whatever—or whoever—is doing this is focusing the majority of their control elsewhere. We're more like an afterthought." She smiled apologetically.

"I'm an afterthought?!" I shouted, indignation and anger rising up. _Curses. I wonder what that damn Fire Dragonslayer is doing now…I bet _he's _not an afterthought. _With a roar of rage, I poured all my strength and determination into using my magic. _I _will_ beat this! I will prove that I am stronger than the Salamander!_ I felt an almost physically perceptible snap as my magic was unleashed. Shouting with pride, I turned to thank Levy.

However, when my gaze found her, I saw that she wasn't alone. A tall, slim man with shoulder-length blond hair stood behind her with one hand on her upper arm, and one around her neck. A thick white bandage was wrapped around his face, covering his nose. Glowing red eyes peered at me over the top of it. Levy stood frozen with wide eyes, unable to see who held her captive. My blood boiled, the magnitude of my own rage surprising me. I took a menacing step towards them, but the blond man held up a hand in warning.

"Ah ah ah," he tsked, shaking his head. The hand still around her throat started constricting, and I heard Levy choke out a terrified gasp. She was still immobile, unable to do anything but slowly suffocate. "I'll admit, I'm impressed that you were able to figure out the nature of the magic." He leaned in close, and I saw his tongue dart out and glide up the side of her neck. Levy cried out in terror, tears gathering in her hazel eyes. "However, you are right about one thing…Elme's magic can only control others. Mine is superior. My magic is the ultimate anti-magic. Shall I use this one as a demonstration?" he asked in an eerie voice, tilting his head to look at me. Licking his lips, he said, "It's been a while since I've had a taste of Script magic."

"You bastard, let her go!" I roared. Throwing caution to the wind, I charged at the mage holding Levy hostage, my arms turning to razor-edged swords.

"Gajeel, no!" Levy cried, her eyes wide and frantic. Before I'd made it to within five meters of them, I felt a crushing force on my body, and I fell to the ground, sure my insides were about to be squeezed out of my skin.

"Gahhh!" I yelled, writhing in agony on the ground. As if through a thick layer of cotton, I heard the other members of our group shout out, though I couldn't make out their words. "Let her…go…you bastard!" I choked out, trying to get to my feet so I could run to them and free Levy from that creep's hold. My desperate struggles were met with cold laughter, and then I heard a high-pitched scream of utter agony that tore at my heart.

"_Levy!_"

With a roar of power and all-consuming rage, I surged to my feet. However, when I turned my gaze to Levy and her captor, I felt my heart stop, ice over, and shatter. A stream of crimson blood was flowing down her neck, her head hanging limply to the side.

"I am Sitri, one of the seven princes of Hell. And you will all…die." A trickle of red slid down his chin, leaving a trail from the corner of his mouth. As he flashed a cold, calculating grin at me, all I could see was the blood coating his teeth.

Levy's blood.

* * *

**Yep, I did just end the chapter like that. :) Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please let me know your thoughts in a review. :)**


	7. Chapter 7 - Elme

A/N: Hey, guys! Sorry it took me so long to upload this chapter! I've been a little distracted. :3 Anyways, I hope you enjoy this exciting new installment. x)

* * *

Chapter Seven – Elme

_Sting_

I glanced over at Rogue, disbelief mingling with alarm. A mind controller? That meant that at any minute we could all be mindless drones—or worse, we could turn on each other against our will. My oldest (human) friend gave me a grim but determined nod. We would fight this mage, even if it cost us our lives.

With a flick of her wrist, Elme sent the horde of empty-eyed townspeople after us.

"Try not to kill them if you can avoid it!" Ultear shouted above the clamor.

"Leave it to me!" Sherry replied, turning to face the onslaught. "Rock Doll Special Move: Rock Cradle!" The cobbled streets started bucking and lurching as a giant wall rose up, hedging in the mass of people. I could hear their cries as they pounded against the unyielding wall.

"Nice one, Sherry!" Ren smiled with pride at the pink-haired woman, and a faint blush rose in her cheeks.

Laughter rang out from above, and we all snapped our gazes to the woman on the roof. "Foolish mages. Didn't you hear me? I am in control…of _everyone._ Now, let's make things interesting, shall we?"

Angry, I took a step towards her to show her that no one controlled us. However, in the next instant, I found myself pitched into Rogue as the ground shook and groaned around us. Before I had a chance to right myself, darkness swallowed us.

"What's going on?" I demanded, putting a hand out to feel around. My fingers grazed something cold and solid—a rock wall. Lurching to my feet, I cocked my arm for a punch. "White Dragon's Punch!" I unleashed the power, blinding light illuminating the confines of the giant dome of rock we were apparently trapped in. A smirk curved the corner of my mouth. _This will show that woman not to underestimate the power of a Dragonslayer._

After a moment, I pulled my hand back, an orb of light wrapped around my fist. My jaw dropped when I saw that not so much as a speck of dust had been removed from the wall. "What is this?" I asked in horror. There was no way that a pitiful wall could hold up against the power of my punch! Unleashing a furious roar, I assaulted the wall with a barrage of attacks. Finally, I pulled back, panting and dripping sweat from the exertion. And still the wall remained undamaged.

"Stand back," Rogue said, coming up beside me. I ground my teeth but complied, knowing that this was not the time to let pride get in the way. "Shadow Dragon's Crushing Fang!" We both pulled back, stunned, when again nothing happened.

"Kitten Blast!" Millianna shouted, bombarding the wall with her magic.

That annoyingly smug laughter rang out again, this time sounding inside my mind. I yelled and fell to my knees, holding my head. Judging from the others' expressions, they could hear her, too. "No matter how many times you attack that wall, it won't give unless you attack the source of the magic itself."

"What do you mean?" Millianna demanded, clutching her ears. The voice made no reply, but it didn't need to. We all turned to look at the woman standing in the center of the enclosure, a double-layered laugh bubbling up from her throat. Her eyes were rolled back, revealing only the whites of her eyes.

"Sherry!" Ren cried, reaching desperately for her. She jerked her hand up, catching him in the jaw with enough force to knock him back a few feet.

"You'll have to kill her to break down this wall," Elme said in amusement.

I growled, my hands balling into fists at my side. We may once have been enemies, but now we were allies, and I never attacked my comrades. "You're crazier than I thought if you think I'm going to hurt my comrades."

She laughed again and I ground my teeth in anger. "It matters not to me whether you perish now or later. But it would be awfully boring to let you all starve to death in there. So for the sake of the show, I will have you fight."

A blast of power sent me flying into the wall with a crunch. Gasping, I fell into a crouch, looking around for the enemy. However, when the top of the enclosure suddenly crumbled, letting light stream in, I saw that Kagura was facing me, her eyes blank as she held her katana in both hands, parallel to the ground. Slowly, she started sliding the sheath off, sending a raspy whisper of steel into the air.

"Kagura-chan," Millianna said, gasping. She held out her hand and took a step toward the swordswoman, and I reacted not a second too soon.

"Get back!" I yelled, throwing myself at her and knocking her back. I saw a burst of light and felt the hiss of the air above my head as Kagura's sword barely missed us, cutting through the air we'd occupied just a moment ago.

Gray leapt between Kagura and us, a giant ice scythe held in his hands. "She's not in control of herself right now," he called over his shoulder at Millianna. Tears slid down her cheeks as she nodded her understanding. "Don't let your guard down; in this state, she could kill us all without hesitation."

Kagura's katana seemed to be glowing as she swept it up in an arc towards Gray's head. He threw his scythe up to meet it, barely blocking her strike in time. However, with only a second's pause during which we all held our breath, her blade cut cleanly through the ice. Gray jumped back, the katana nicking his shoulder instead of his neck.

A field of air suddenly closed her in then, and I saw Ren standing up next to Sherry. Kagura fell to one knee, clutching her throat as she gasped for breath. After a moment, she sank to the ground, unconscious.

Suddenly, the reality of our predicament descended on me with ice-cold fingers. I gulped, staring at Kagura's prone form. That could be any of us. And likely would be if we couldn't figure out how to defeat this insane bitch. Guilt filled me, even though I hadn't even raised a hand against Kagura. Guilt, and concern. At least the force field of air had been lifted. It gave me small comfort to know that at least she wouldn't have to watch the rest of us fall and become tools. Millianna rushed over to her side, sobbing. I knew I should probably tell her to stay away, just in case Kagura woke up and was still under Elme's control. And yet, I didn't have the heart to watch them both suffer by themselves, so I said nothing.

"Isn't this fun?" Elme laughed gleefully. I snapped my head up and saw her reclining on the rim of the crumbled dome. Baring my teeth, I sent a burst of power into the ground to propel me up towards her. I wanted nothing more than to wipe that arrogant smirk off her face with my fist. However, before I could reach her, the air around me grew heavy, deprived of oxygen. A vortex sucked me back down to the ground, and I felt my lungs crying out desperately for air. A pounding headache took root behind my eyes, but I slowly and agonizingly got my feet under me and stood up.

"Sting-kun!" Lecter cried out, racing over to me.

"Lecter, no! You have to stay back, or she could use me to hurt you," I gritted out, my back stooped beneath the weight of the air. Lecter looked up at me with tears gathering in his eyes, but nodded and scurried over to a darkened edge of the enclosure, huddling down next to Frosch. The green Exceed was balling her eyes out, using her pink frog suit to wipe her nose.

I turned my attention to Ren, who was standing beside Sherry with the same blank look in his white eyes. _It looks like I might really have to attack him…._ I shook my head violently to clear my mind. _No. I can't play into her games. If I fall for her tricks, then there will be no chance of victory._ Unfortunately, it looked like the air mage had no such qualms while he was under Elme's control.

"Aerial Phose!" he yelled, swinging his hands in a circular motion to create a cyclone of air.

"Holy Blast!" I aimed the magic at Ren's cyclone, careful to angle it so that it wouldn't hit him. His magic exploded apart, and I felt a brief moment of relief to know that I could still defend myself without harming the others.

"Ice Make: Ice Wall!" Gray sent a tower of ice rushing at Ren, freezing him within its icy confines. But the next instant, it became a wall of water, crashing into the ground. I was swept up in the currents and slammed into the wall as the enclosure became a flooded bottle. There was so much water that I couldn't touch the ground with my head above the water. Gray cursed, and we looked around to find Ren.

Along with Sherry and Ultear, he was standing in a bubble of mist within the water. I gaped at them in disbelief before realizing that Ultear's Arc of Time was causing the water to go forward in time to its state as a vapor. She must have also been the one to turn the ice into water. _Which means that…._ Sure enough, I saw that her eyes were blank white orbs.

I cursed and spat water out of my mouth, looking around for the others. Frosch was carrying Rogue above the water, and Lecter had Kagura and Milliana.

"Ice Make: Kite!" A large ice kite appeared in the air before the Ice-Make mage. He sent it zooming towards me, and I prepared to smash it before it could hit me. However, instead of attacking me, it dove through the water and came up beneath my treading feet. My eyes widened in shock as I was born upwards, out of the water. I looked at Gray, and he smirked at me, his blue eyes dancing with amusement. I released a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding. _Thank goodness he's still himself. For now._ Then, without warning, Gray submerged himself. A moment later, the pool of water beneath us turned to a solid block of ice. Gray burst through the surface, sending shards of ice flying in every direction. We all peered at the spot where the others had been. All I could see through the ice was their hazy outlines. But then, a column of ice above them suddenly vaporized, and Ren used a cyclone of air to lift them out of the hole.

"Doll Make: Ice Doll!" A giant golem rose from the ice, taking a swipe at the Exceeds with their loads in the air. Frosch was able to dodge the attack, but Lecter, weighed down by the load of two people, wasn't quick enough.

"Kyaaah!" Millianna shrieked as they plummeted to the ground, tucking in the air to land with cat-like grace. Kagura was still unconscious, and I ran forward, throwing myself under her and catching her just in time. Lecter landed in Millianna's outstretched arms, and I knew that he'd be okay with her. However, we didn't have time to relax, because the ice golem was already swinging its arm back for another hit.

I lunged out of the way as its fist smashed down on the ground, shattering its icy hand. However, with Ultear's Arc of Time, the pieces came back together and reattached themselves to the icy stump.

"Nobody controls my ice." Gray was crouched in the shadows behind the golem, a dangerous look in his eyes. "Ice Geyser!" A blast of jagged ice swept across the floor to impale the monster. With a final bellow, the ice doll exploded in a hail of ice shards.

I tried to make myself as small as possible to avoid the flying shards, and used my body to shield Kagura, tucking her against my chest. I felt her stir, and glanced down quickly to see if she was still possessed. However, when she blinked open her golden brown eyes, I was relieved to see she was back to normal.

"Sting…? What's going on?" She blinked in confusion and pulled back, surveying the fighting around us. Gray was going at it with Sherry and Ren, and Rogue had landed on the ground to engage Ultear. Milliana was crawling over to us with Lecter held protectively in one arm, a smile on her tear-streaked face.

"Kagura-chan! I was so worried about you! I'm so glad you're back to normal." I took Lecter from Milliana as she threw her arms around Kagura.

"Normal? What happened?" Kagura's usually cold expression was confused as she glanced around at everyone. "Why are they fighting each other?"

"They're being controlled by the woman up there, Elme," I said gravely. "You were controlled by her earlier, but Ren knocked you out. I guess she can only maintain her hold on people when they're conscious."

She nodded, her face regaining its cold determination. "If we work together, we can defeat her. But we'll need two teams. One to distract, and one to go in for the kill. Milliana and I will handle the ones she has under her control. You get Gray and Rogue, and go after Elme. I'll let you guys figure out how you're going to take her out. Good luck." She stood, Millianna at her side. Turning to face the others, she nodded at Millianna and together they leapt into the fray.

"Oi! Gray, Rogue!" I called. As they turned to glance at me, an idea formed in my head. I beckoned them over, positioning myself so that my back was to the woman sitting on the edge of the wall. They looked at me warily, wondering why I would call them away from the fight.

During their hesitation, Kagura darted in, quick as lightning, to land a series of blows to the others without unsheathing her sword. While Ren, Sherry and Ultear were reeling from the assaults, Millianna brandished a magical rope.

"Nekosoku Tube!" The rope shot from her hands and wound itself around the three mages, binding their arms down at their sides.

Seeing that their opponents were currently unable to use magic, Gray and Rogue ran over to me. "Sting, what—"

Before Gray had a chance to finish speaking, I punched him in the stomach, my fist coated in magic. He grunted in pain and grabbed onto my arm to keep from falling.

"You bastard, what are you doing?" he demanded angrily.

"How dare you attack Kagura earlier?" I shouted, punching him in the jaw. "She didn't even know what she was doing!"

He blinked at me in shock, but then a flicker of realization flashed in his eyes as he caught on. His lips quirked in an arrogant smirk, and he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I see how it is. Don't worry, though—she would never like you anyway. Ice Make: Ice Bringer!" Twin ice blades materialized in his hands, and he lashed out at me with both swords.

I leapt over the blades, but he had a little trick up his sleeve. When I landed, I found that he'd turned the floor to ice beneath my feet. I fell back onto the ice with a crash, leaving me open to attack. Gray looked ready to leap on the opportunity, but then Rogue jumped in front of me.

"Shadow Dragon's Slash!" Rogue used his magic to increase his punching power, his fist colliding with Gray's swords as the Ice-Make mage brought them up to block. However, Rogue followed up with another cut to Gray's gut, making him bend over, coughing.

I could feel Elme's attention on us now, and I heard her amused chuckle as she witnessed what she thought was three comrades turning on each other without her help. _Good_. That was exactly the response I wanted from her. To keep things moving, I kicked out with both feet and swept Rogue's legs out from under him. Carrying through with the kick, I spun my legs around for momentum to stand up. Peering down at Rogue with a vicious grin, I laughed a loud, crazed laugh.

"I don't need your help, Rogue. Only one of us is making it out of here alive, and I'm afraid that it's going to be me." His eyes narrowed, and I could practically hear him wondering what was going on. But then he glanced over at Gray and his eyes widened, realization coming over him.

"We'll see about that."

With a yell, the three of us ran at each other, each trying to land a blow on the other that would look harder than it really was. My heart clenched when I heard Lecter and Frosch crying out, wondering what we were doing. However, I knew that I couldn't explain to them yet, or our plan would be blown. From overhead, Elme laughed merrily, clapping her hands together.

"Bravo! What a marvelous performance! Keep this up, and I won't even have to interfere!"

Inwardly, I smirked, knowing that we weren't even doing that much damage to each other. But to an outside observer, it looked like we were pummeling each other to within an inch of our lives.

Gray swung his swords at me, but I dodged so that his momentum carried him past. As he went by, he whispered in my ear, "When I come at you next time, I want you to kill me."

I jerked and spun to look at him, my eyes wide. Kill him? What was he saying? However, in a movement almost too fast for my eyes to follow, I saw him dart off into the shadows along the edge of the wall. And yet, Gray was still standing before me, breathing heavily and holding his swords at the ready. "Ready, Dragonslayer? I'm coming at you now."

He lunged towards me, his swords raised high for an overhand strike. Deciding to trust Gray and that brief instant in which I'd seen two Grays, I cocked my fist back and sank into a crouch.

"Holy Nova!" With a blinding flash of light, I slammed my fist into Gray's gut. The thick column of light surrounding my arm exploded, sending Gray flying backwards. He crashed into the wall with a crunch and slid to the ground, his clothes completely charred around his chest.

"Well, that's one down," I said offhandedly, cracking my knuckles as I turned to face Rogue. "Sorry, Rogue, but I'm afraid it's your turn now."

Behind the Shadow Dragonslayer, I saw Kagura scream and run towards us with her sheathed katana held aloft in her hand. "How dare you?!" she shrieked, flying towards me.

Suddenly, a rope wound around her body, and she crashed to the ground, her hair falling over her face. Standing behind her was Millianna, a scared look on her face.

_What's going on?_ I thought, returning my attention to Rogue. _Whatever it is, I'm sure they know what they're doing. I'll trust them as they trusted me._ With a savage grin, I held out a hand and beckoned Rogue toward me. "Feeling scared?"

"You wish." His face remained impassive, his red eye pinning me with a cold stare. "However, as much as I'd like to go at you with full power, I'm not as heartless as you. If we used our full power, we would bring this wall down around us, and likely injure or even kill everyone else. I won't be responsible for the deaths of my allies, even if you don't have a problem with killing one of our own."

I scoffed, flashing a cocky grin. "Fine, have it your way. We'll fight with hand-to-hand combat." And then I lunged for him, sucker-punching him in the stomach. Even without backing it up with my magic, I knew that I was strong. That would leave a bruise for sure.

Rogue grabbed my shoulders and slammed my body down on his knee, smashing my nose. I pulled back, cringing. Blood dripped from my nose, but I ignored it. Coming at him again, I reached for him, aiming to grab him around the throat. However, he brought his own hands up, clasping mine in his. Our fingers interlocked as we grappled for the upper hand.

"Sting," he snarled, catching my gaze.

"Rogue." A slight smile curved the corner of my mouth, and he gave an almost imperceptible nod. We were positioned so that our sides were facing Elme, who was busy laughing and jeering at us from atop the wall.

In a move as quick as the blink of an eye, we turned our heads to face her and threw our arms out to the side, our fingers still interlocked. "Holy Shadow Dragon's Flash Fang! UNISON RAID!"

A blast of light erupted from our joined hands, shadows slithering around and mingling with the white light. Elme shrieked, disappearing within the blast of power. When the light faded, we all looked up in loaded silence, straining to catch a glimpse of her. There was no sign of her.

After a tense moment, when she still didn't appear, I released a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. "I told you I don't attack my comrades," I said softly, looking up at the spot where Elme had disappeared.

A chuckle sounded from the shadows behind me, and I turned to see Gray appear. "Oh really? Tell that to my jaw." The other Gray I'd sent flying still lay in the shadows against the wall, but it was now a block of Gray-shaped ice. After a moment, it shattered, coating the ground with fine shards of ice.

Millianna sank to the ground, a shaky sigh escaping her. "Kagura told me to tie her up when she ran at you, but I didn't know what was going on. You guys really had me convinced that you were trying to kill each other." A silvery tear slid down her cheek as she held her arms around herself and shook. Kagura, shaking free of her restraints, walked over to the other girl and pressed her to her chest, holding her as the tears she'd been holding from all the tension were released.

"You were excellent," Kagura grudgingly admitted, looking over at me. "If I hadn't known better, even I would've assumed that you were fighting to the death." Then her eyes narrowed and a slight blush crept across her cheeks. "Though you could've left me out of it."

I laughed, the sound filling me with relief. "Sorry about that. It was the first thing I thought of."

A soft sound from behind me made me spin around, alert for any sign of attack. However, all I saw was my small mahogany Exceed approaching me hesitantly, tears lingering in his wide brown eyes. "Sting-kun?" he whimpered. "You mean, it was all for show?" He hiccupped as another tear slid slowly down his furry cheek.

I felt my heart breaking as I knelt and scooped Lecter into my arms. Pressing him to my chest, I buried my face in his fur. A few tears of my own escaped, falling on his head. "I'm so sorry for scaring you, Lecter. Please, forgive me. Yes, it was all part of the plan to take out Elme."

"Rogue!" Frosch ran into Rogue's waiting arms, tears spilling freely from her rosy cheeks. "Fro was so scared for Rogue," she sobbed, clinging to his chest. The Shadow Dragonslayer closed his eyes in a pained look and held her tightly. I smiled, glad to see their safe reunion.

"What happened?" Sherry asked, sitting up. She was still bound with the magic-nulling rope, and she looked down at it in confusion. I sighed in relief when I saw that the three mages had been returned to their right minds. As Millianna saw that they weren't going to attack us, the ropes fell away from them.

"Sherry!" Ren said, pulling the pink-haired woman into his arms. "Are you hurt?"

"Ren!" she said in surprise, resting her hands on his chest. "No, I'm alright. How are you?"

"I am also uninjured." Sherry smiled in relief, and the two embraced each other tightly.

"That woman…" said Ultear, slowly getting to her feet. "She was controlling us, wasn't she?"

I looked at her in surprise, impressed that she was able to figure it out with no memories to confirm it. "Yes. But she's defeated now." I looked around at the others, feeling a grin stretch across my face. "We're safe. It's over."

"Just one minute," a voice said, echoing over our heads. I felt the blood drain from my face as I looked around for the source of it, already knowing in my gut who it was. The dangerously calm voice shook with barely suppressed rage. "You think such a pitiful attack could defeat me?" She laughed, a low, menacing sound. "Well, aren't we arrogant. I can assure you, darling Dragonslayer—nothing's over. In fact, it's only just begun."

Frosch cried out, and Lecter hid his head in my chest as I tensed, my gaze finally landing on the shadowy form of Elme. She was crouched in the shadows at the base of the wall, her dress dirty and torn. A wide, crazy smile gleamed in the darkness. "I will make you pay, Dragonslayers!" she shrieked, throwing her hands out in front of her.

"Lecter, go!" I shouted, throwing the Exceed into the air behind me. His wings snapped out as he caught himself and soared up above my head. "Take Frosch and go find the others! Tell them our situation and see if you can get help."

Rogue tossed Frosch into the air as the green Exceed sprouted wings, her eyes wide and fearful. Lecter paused at the mouth of the enclosure, looking back down at me. "Sting…."

"Go!" I slashed my hand through the air, willing Lecter to go before it was too late.

"Oh, I don't think so." Something about Elme's tone made my blood run cold, and I turned to look at her with wide eyes. "I think I've just found the perfect way to get revenge." She looked right at me and smiled.

I heard Lecter and Frosch scream in agony. Blinking in what felt like slow motion, I realized that I was now facing the two Exceeds, my arm extended in front of me in the finishing stance of Holy Ray. Shock and horror filled me as I saw them fall to the earth, their wings tattered and torn. All I could see was Lecter hitting the ground, his eyes squinted in pain as he looked at me, a brave smile curling his lips. And then his eyes shuttered closed, his small body motionless.

"Lecter!" I screamed. "_LECTER!_" Tears blurred my vision as I spun to face Elme, and for a moment, a haze of red descended on my surroundings.

"You…bitch. YOU WILL PAY!" I screamed, charging her with a hatred so strong that I was shaking with it. "YOU MURDERED LECTER! YOU WILL SUFFER A DEATH SO PAINFUL THAT NO ONE WILL EVER BE ABLE TO COME CLOSE TO SO MUCH PAIN IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD!"

She just smiled calmly at me, a vicious look in her black eyes. "Come."

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**A/N: I've always thought the friendships between Sting and Lecter and Rogue and Frosch were beautiful. :') I was almost crying when I was writing that last bit.**

**Don't forget to review, as always! Let me know what you think. Are Lecter and Frosch really dead? And who do you think will win this deadly dance?**

**And also, what did everyone think of the latest chapter of Fairy Tail that was released? Rogue looks so scary! D: This could put some major cricks in my storyline if he becomes evil... O.o**


	8. Chapter 8 - Aprindere

A/N: Many thanks to everyone who's been reviewing so faithfully! Your support means the world to me! I'm so sorry that it took me so long to upload this chapter. :( In fact, the reason why I've been so slow to upload this last chapter (well, aside from exorbitant amounts of homework) is because I've been so busy reading the absolutely brilliant fanfics of certain readers *cough cough **Lightmoon54***. More special thanks to **severedserenity**, **Erza Scarlet Titania**, **GingerificFabulousTime, ****FoxOnPie**, and many others for all the reviewing you guys have done! :)

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Chapter Eight – Aprindere

_Wendy _

Aprindere, he called himself. The lord of the flames. Did that mean that he used fire to explode things? If so, then Chelia and I might have a slight chance, since fire was a horrible match-up for wind. And yet, my gaze returned to the motionless bodies of my friends and allies, lying so still on the cobblestones. How could he knock all of them out with a single explosion?

Lyon had collapsed next to Juvia, one arm flung protectively over her. Elfman and Evergreen's hands were extended towards each other, their limp fingers just brushing. Even the mighty Gildarts was out cold, his daughter's body tucked protectively against his chest. All the others lay where they'd fallen, never having had a chance to defend themselves. The sky was bathed in a sickly red haze, flakes of ash slowly drifting to the ground. Already, thin layers of gray were cloaking my friends, stealing the color from their clothes, skin and hair. It was as if I'd stumbled into a hellish nightmare.

Only, this was reality.

"Chelia, you try to distract him long enough for me to heal some of the others."

"Mn," she responded with a nod, somewhat breathlessly. Then she sucked in a massive breath of air and aimed it at Aprindere. "Sky God's Roar!"

When she released her magic, I dashed over to Gildarts, figuring he was our best bet. If I could at least make him regain consciousness, there was a good chance that we could beat this mage. I fell to my knees at his side, setting Carla down gently and moving my hands over his chest to let my magic feel around for the source of his injuries. I had only just begun to bathe his chest in my magic's healing glow when Chelia screamed and I felt a weight slam into my back. I was sent flying forward, tumbling across the ground with Chelia. Her pink hair filled my vision as we skidded across the ash-laden ground, leaving a track through the gray powder.

"Chelia! Are you okay?" I asked, frantically struggling to free myself so I could scan the other girl for injury and find the lord of the flames.

"I'm fine," she ground out, one eye squinted shut and fresh cuts and bruises peppering her face. She rose into a crouch, one hand on the ground for balance as the other rested on her knee. "He's more powerful than I thought." A touch of concern colored her voice, and I glared at the explosion mage, panting.

His dark brown hair was trimmed neatly along the sides, but messy tufts stuck up from the top of his head. A row of silver studs lined his left ear. Golden eyes stared back at me, fringed with long, dark lashes. They were glowing, though I couldn't decide if it was from the eerie lighting and dancing flames licking hungrily at the merchant stalls, or from some inner emotion. His neat black suit was still crisp and clean, with the exception of the few flecks of ash that came to rest on his shoulders. He raised his arms out to his sides and tilted his head up, uttering a high, reckless laugh. Bringing his head back down to look at me, he left his arms up at his sides, palm up.

"Behold…the dawn of a new age is upon us. You old-age mages will be eliminated to make way for our new empire. You and all your precious commoners, though I don't give a damn about powerless insects." Once again, he threw back his head and laughed. My eyes narrowed as I straightened. There was no way we would let these maniacs defeat us and destroy the world!

"A new age?" a voice drawled from behind Aprindere. My heart lurched with hope as I recognized that familiar, irreverent tone. "You sound completely insane. Just as well, because I'm going to beat you."

The man in the suit spun around, talking in the new threat with vaguely amused eyes. Natsu stood silhouetted against the burning buildings, his pink hair streaked with soot and his eyes glowing menacingly in the dancing light of the flames. An unconscious Hibiki was slung over his shoulders, and I felt my heart clench with fear. _Where are the other members of his group? Lucy-san, Gray-san…surely nothing has happened to them!_

Slowly, never taking his eyes off of Aprindere, Natsu lowered Hibiki to the ground "Wendy, Chelia, Carla. I'm sorry I couldn't find you guys sooner."

"What are you doing here, Natsu-san?" Chelia asked, wincing as she stood up and rolled out her shoulders. I listened intently, for that was what I'd also been wondering.

"Lucy, Hibiki, Yukino and I were attacked when we were separated from the group, but then we couldn't find everyone else. Hibiki was acting all weird and possessed, so I brought him away with me to hopefully get help. However, I lost Lucy and Yukino somewhere in the crowd, but I couldn't find them when I went back to look for them." He briefly closed his eyes as a flicker of remorse crossed his usually blasé face. "Eventually, I decided I had no choice but to continue on. And it looks like that was a good decision, too, seeing as how I got here just in time. Chelia, Wendy, you two heal the rest of these guys while I take care of this weirdo." He cracked his knuckles loudly, a vicious grin stretching his face.

"Oh? A Dragonslayer, eh? This should be interesting." A predatory smile curled Aprindere's lips, and for some reason, I felt even more uneasy than before.

"Be careful, Natsu-san!" I called out to him. He nodded and grinned confidently at me.

As the two men faced each other, Chelia and I hurried over to start healing the others. She knelt down beside Lyon, and I rushed to Gildarts's side. As the warm glow of my healing magic bathed my hands and washed over Gildarts's chest, I heard the beginning sounds of the fight.

"Fire Dragon's Wing Slash!" Natsu yelled, charging at Aprindere with a speed almost too fast for my eyes to follow.

A sudden explosion shook the ground, and I heard Natsu cry out as he was thrown backwards. I snapped my gaze to the fighting pair, horrified at the thought of Natsu getting defeated.

"Silly Dragonslayer!" Aprindere cried jubilantly. "I am the lord of the flames! Your fire bows to my commands! And most unfortunately for you, dear Fire Dragon, my flames tend to make yours…blow up in your face."

As Natsu summoned a column of fire to surround his body, his face angry but determined, I saw Aprindere smile cruelly. Suddenly, before I was aware of what was happening, Natsu's flames simply…exploded. There was no other way to describe the sudden burst of flames spewing chaotically from his body.

"Natsu-san!" I cried, wanting nothing more than to run to him to heal him. He roared in anger and pain as he was thrown backwards, skidding over the cobblestones as he fought to get his feet under him.

"Fast wind that runs through heaven…Vernier! Power of the stout arms that tear heaven…Arms!"

As the magic circles appeared beneath him, Natsu spared me a quick nod of thanks before returning his attention to his opponent. _I'm sorry, Natsu-san. This is the best I can do for you now. I leave this to you. _Turning my own attention to the task at hand, I trusted that Natsu would keep Aprindere away from Chelia and me while we worked. And then I completely focused my mind on my healing magic.

My conscious seemed to flow in and mingle with my magic as I spread it throughout Gildarts's body, healing all the most serious injuries. His lungs were completely filled with smoke from the explosion, and I quickly focused on removing it and filtering in clean air. Slowly, I felt his chest begin to rise and fall again, his magic already restoring.

Pulling back, I opened my eyes. Gildarts blinked open his own brown ones, a grimace pulling at his face. He coughed, the sound a harsh, grating noise. Then, with a jolt, he sat up and reached for Cana.

"Cana! Wake up!" He pulled his daughter's head onto his lap, cradling it to his chest. For the first time, he seemed to notice me kneeling by his side. "Wendy…what happened? What's wrong with her?"

"Gildarts-san," I began, wiping my brow from the exertion of healing him. "There was a huge explosion that knocked everyone out. You've all taken quite a bit of damage."

He appraised me for a moment, before the sounds of the battle raging between Natsu and Aprindere drew his attention. "Natsu?" he asked in surprise. "What's he doing here?"

"He came looking for help for Hibiki-san, but when he just found Chelia and me conscious, he told us to heal everyone else while he took out that man." I glanced over to see how Chelia was doing. Lyon was stirring, and Chelia had moved on to Juvia, who was right next to him.

"I will help him," Gildarts declared, making to stand up.

"Don't you dare!" Natsu suddenly snarled above the roar of a fireball striking the wall of a building behind Aprindere. "This one's mine! You focus on getting everybody all patched up. And then you can go see if you can find any of the others. I'm sure their situations are at least as bad as ours." His brow was furrowed in concentration, beads of sweat leaving tracks in the soot that stained his face. We all stared at him for a moment. This was the most serious and grim I'd ever seen him. After another moment, Gildarts nodded, his own face grave.

"Very well. I leave this to you, Natsu."

My hands hovered above Cana's chest and abdomen. After a moment, I saw movement in her chest once more. When her eyelids fluttered open, Gildarts visibly relaxed. "Cana," he said gruffly as he pulled her into a surprisingly gentle hug. Cana's eyes widened in surprise, but she made no resistance.

"Gildarts?" she asked. "What's going on?"

"Come. Natsu's handling this one. I am going to go search for the other groups, but I won't let you out of my sight again. You're coming with me."

She looked as if she might protest for a moment, but then she nodded, her gaze taking in everything that was going on around us. "Alright."

Once they were both on their feet, Gildarts nodded at me. "Thank you, Wendy. Take care of yourself."

I smiled in response, hoping to reassure them. Both of my safety, and their own. Because something told me that as bad as things looked here, they could be much worse with the others. Cana and Gildarts took off down an alley, leaving me to move on to Laxus, who was lying a few feet away.

Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself for the task of healing everyone else before Aprindere tired of fighting with Natsu and moved on to the rest of us.

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_Natsu_

I yelled my frustration. Not once had I been able to land a hit on this guy. Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I paused to catch my breath. My hand came away sticky with blood. My teeth ground in anger as I watched this Aprindere, the self-proclaimed lord of the flames. He was standing relaxed amidst all the rubble and ash, a condescending smirk on his handsome face. His hands were stuffed in the pockets of his dress pants, and he looked for all the world as though he were out for a pleasure stroll.

"You bastard, fight me for real!" I shouted, flying at him with my Fire Dragon's Wing Slash. However, for yet the hundredth time, I was blown backwards before I could even reach him. My hands were burned and blistering from the exploding heat whenever he exploded my flames. I growled as my hands began a low, acute throbbing. I never got burned. This could not be happening. _No one uses _my_ fire against me!_

"Oh, but don't you agree that it's much more fun this way?" he asked, quirking his head to the side with a mock wounded expression that only made me angrier. "After all, where would be the fun in killing you right away? I'd prefer to torture you for a bit longer in front of your precious friends." He smiled smugly, raising his hand towards me. I could feel the now-familiar pull of my magic preparing to explode within me. Dimly, I recalled that I had once faced an opponent who used magic similar to this—Guttman, a member of the Zentopia Legion Corps who used Rapture Magic to scatter his foe's magic inside them, causing it to explode.

As I was once again sent flying backwards, I saw that almost everyone from this group had regained consciousness. Lyon looked like he wanted to jump in and join the fight, and Laxus looked pissed enough to kill someone, though I couldn't tell if his ire was directed at me or Aprindere.

I struggled up through the heap of flaming rubble that had fallen around me when I'd been sent crashing through a wall. Seeing the faces of my friends, concerned and afraid for me, made me that much more determined to win. And then there was Lucy…she was out there somewhere, fighting her own battle, maybe even against another insane mage like this one. And she was doing it without me. For some reason, the thought made me especially anxious. What if something happened to her and I wasn't there to protect her?

I shook my head. No, this wasn't the time to be worrying about that. I had to trust that she would take care of herself, and I would do the same. Not just for my sake, but for hers as well. New determination filled me then. Yes, I would defeat this guy, and I would return to Lucy's side.

Red dragon scales appeared on my skin. I strode forward slowly, until I was free of the wreckage of the building. "You think you're the only one who can explode things?" I grinned savagely. "Allow me to show you the power of my exploding flames." My entire body began to glow, until it was wreathed in live, hungry flames. "Hidden Fire Form – Crimson Lotus: Phoenix Blade!" I ran at Aprindere with a speed that rivaled a snow leopard's. When I was within striking distance, I unleashed the full brunt of my power with a devastating punch to his chest. I had the immense satisfaction of seeing his eyes widen as my fist made contact, before he was soaring through the air away from me.

_My first hit! And it won't be the last. I promise you, Lucy._ Stalking towards the spot where the mage had fallen, I expected to see him lying in a defeated state, or at least greatly wounded. After all, that was my strongest attack. My world suddenly came to a halt, though, when I saw that he was standing up now, seemingly unharmed except for a charred circle on the chest of his suit. And he was looking at me with a look of pure hatred in his burning golden eyes. I gulped, suddenly wishing I were farther away from him. Like, several countries further away. However, I knew that I had to own up to my actions, so I smiled tauntingly at him.

"How did you like that?" I mocked. "You should have seen your face when you went flying."

"That was really not the wisest move, boy," he growled. A shadow seemed to fall over his face, giving him a devilish look. "I have grown tired of playing with you. I see that you are strong, but I'm afraid the difference in our levels is just too great. Now…die, Dragonslayer Natsu."

Almost faster than I could register, he raced toward me, leaving a trail of scorched and cracking earth in his wake. I jumped out of his way just in time, leaping up into the air and back-flipping to right myself when I landed. However, I felt a searing pain in my back as soon as my feet touched the ground. Gasping, I spun around and found Aprindere smiling cruelly at me. Just before he blinked out of my line of vision. Another mini explosion scorched my back, sending me flying into a wall, face-first. Before I had a chance to reorient myself, I felt a pair of hands dragging me from the dent I'd made.

I looked up into the face of Aprindere, gritting my teeth defiantly. I made to punch him in the face with a fist wreathed in flames, but he easily batted my arm away and pinned it out at my side. Dimly, I heard Elfman shouting for me to throw him off and fight him like a man, but I couldn't do anything with my arms and legs pinned like this. _What is this guy? How strong is he?!_ Another explosion sounded from the direction of my friends, and I heard their cries.

"Everyone!" I tried to turn my head to look for them to make sure they were alright, but only caught a glimpse of a wall of fire rising up in front of them before Aprindere rammed his knee up into my nose. Pain exploded in my skull, and a dull roaring echoed in my ears. _Ugh. What…is this…?_

"Goodbye, Natsu," he said calmly, raising his fist above my chest. "I'm afraid this is where your tale ends." With an icy look, he slammed his fist down into my chest. An explosion obliterated the ground beneath me, and I was swallowed up by the crater that opened up. Aprindere's smiling face grew farther and farther away from me as he watched me fall, fall, into the hole. My entire body burst into flame from the force of the explosion, starting at my chest. I yelped in agony, desperate to put it out. And then I realized that, since this was fire, I had an advantage here.

Taking a deep breath, I began sucking all the flames dancing across my body into my mouth, replenishing my magic and quenching the fiery pain racing up and down the length of my body. After a moment, they were all gone. My back struck the bottom of the crater, and I lay sprawled out painfully for a moment, my body smoking from the recently extinguished flames. Then I leapt to my feet, rejuvenated after consuming his flames.

"Ah, thanks for the meal. I'm all fired up!" I grinned darkly up at him, nothing but a small figure crouched at the edge of the crater so far above me.

"So you ate my fire, huh?" He smiled thinly, his voice containing none of the surprise or anger I'd been expecting. It almost seemed…smug.

I clenched my fists and shouted up at him. "You've miscalculated. When it comes to battles between two fire mages, I will always win. Your fire can't hurt me; I'll just eat it and use it to fuel my own flames." I crouched and then sprung into the air, kicking off the ground for extra momentum and blasting fire out from the soles of my feet to keep me headed for Aprindere. "Now, watch the power of the Fire Dragon!"

Shooting out of the hole, I looked down at him, my arm blazing as I cocked it back in preparation for the punch I was going to deliver.

"I'm afraid it is you who have miscalculated. Those are my flames you have there, Dragonslayer. And my fire isn't like yours…my fire _is_ explosion. You have just sealed your own fate. Too bad. I was hoping to at least let you leave this world in a less painful manner. No matter, though. You'll have just enough life left in you to watch me destroy your friends."

My eyes widened as I realized my mistake. He wasn't a fire mage, not like me. He didn't produce fire—his explosions did. That was the last thought I had before the fire I'd consumed exploded inside me, turning my world inside out. My vision cut to inky black with splotches of red dancing across it. And I writhed with pain unlike any I'd experienced before. An agonized scream tore at my throat as I plummeted to the decimated ground. I thought I heard someone shrieking my name, but that couldn't be right, because I couldn't hear anything. Because I knew, as my body hit the ground with a bone-shattering thud, that I was dead. I had failed. Everyone.

_I'm…so…rry…Lucy…._

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**A/N: Hey everybody! :) Sorry again for making you all wait so long! I hope that I've managed to make you all so engrossed in this story that you want to murder me right now for ending it this way! :D As always, please leave a review! Let me know what you think of that little twist there at the end. Until next time! **


	9. Chapter 9 - A Fallen Dragon

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has faved, followed and reviewed! :D Your support is invaluable! Keep 'em coming! And also, if anyone knows if you can upload images to without making them your profile picture or the cover of your story and still have everyone see them, please tell me in a PM, because I've made some drawings of the members of Death Strike and would like to post them, so that everyone can see how I picture them. :) If it's not possible, then that sucks. :/ But either way, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Don't forget to tell me your opinions in a review! :D

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Chapter Nine – A Fallen Dragon

_Wendy_

"_Natsu-san!_" I screamed, watching as his body fell to the earth. He was lying so still, so…lifeless.

"Natsu!" Happy wailed, tears pouring from his wide, disbelieving eyes. He'd come to watch over Carla as Natsu had been battling, and now he looked torn between staying here with us—both for his own safety and in an attempt to protect us—and rushing to Natsu's side.

I felt my world grating to a halt around me. _This can't be happening…Natsu…can't be…_ I couldn't bring myself to even think the word, lest by thinking, make it true. Chelia stood at my side, gaping in disbelief. Those we'd revived—who hadn't gone off to find the other groups—stood as if in a trance. Horror was etched across Juvia's face, and Lyon looked pale and shaky.

For several moments, the only sound was the crackling of the flames. My eyes overflowed with tears, though I couldn't tell if it was from the smoke or what had just happened. I was still so much in shock.

And then the spell was broken. Chelia screamed hysterically, sinking to the ground and wrapping her arms protectively around herself as she rocked back and forth. Eve knelt down at her side, enfolding her in his arms. Even the members of our group who hadn't known Natsu well were visibly shaken, their faces pale and ashen. Juvia's despair made the heavens open, a downpour suddenly raining down on us. Within moments, my hair was plastered to my face, my clothes heavy and saturated with water. Steam rose off the baked earth, creating a surreal haze to everything. I took a staggering step towards the place where Natsu had fallen, but his body was swallowed up in the fog.

"That bastard," a voice from behind me growled. I turned to see Laxus stalking forward, a predatory gleam in his livid eyes. "I will kill him for…hurting one of the members of our guild. If we join together, we can defeat him." Then, in a softer voice, he said, "We will avenge you, Natsu."

Elfman roared his rage and grief. "If you're a man, you will pay for what you've done! Natsu was a real man!"

"I remember his bravery and strength," Rufus said softly, tipping his hat in respect for the fallen Dragon. "It shall not be for nothing."

A rage that I hadn't known I was capable of suddenly filled me. With teary eyes, I clenched my teeth and looked up. _Natsu…if you can hear me, I promise we won't fail you. Not again. _Then, resolved, I looked over at the shadowy silhouette through the fog. His golden eyes were glowing eerily through the vapor as he watched us, waiting to see what we would do.

"Let's fight!" I cried, running toward him. The others let out a shout of fury as we all charged him as one, determined to avenge our fallen comrade.

* * *

_Natsu_

"Unh…" I groaned, a dull pain thumping behind my eyes. Slowly, I pried my eyelids back away from my eyes. A blindingly white light filled my vision, making my eyes tear up. I quickly shut them again, waiting for another moment before attempting to open them again. After a minute of letting my eyes adjust to the light, I realized that I was staring up at a beautiful azure sky, the sun directly overhead. Delicate white clouds were scattered overhead, their wispy shapes blowing leisurely across the sky.

"Where am I?" I asked myself, turning my head to the side. Something soft tickled my cheek, and I sat up to find that I was lying in a grassy plain. The emerald stalks were blowing gently in the light breeze, creating a rippling effect across the plains. Looking around, I could see nothing except the rolling plains, extending ostensibly forever off into the horizon. Something about this place seemed familiar, as if from a dream. I knew I'd never been here before—wherever here was—so I wondered how I'd come to be here now.

Which begged the question of why I was here, and what I was doing here. What had I been doing before coming here, anyways? I suddenly couldn't remember anything but waking up in this endless field of grass.

_Flashes of fire danced across my vision. A thunderous roar filled my ears. A heat unlike anything I'd ever felt before. Despair and disappointment so palpable they left a rancid taste in my mouth, making me gag. _

"_Natsu!"_

I jerked, the visions fading just as abruptly as they'd come. Something dangerously like fear clenched my heart. That's right…the fight. _I…lost._ The knowledge swept over me like a bitter wave. So this was death, then.

"Everyone…" I whispered, tears springing to my wide, stunned eyes.

Suddenly, a rumble deep in the earth reached me, causing the wind to suddenly change direction. Even the air seemed to be vibrating. I shot to my feet, looking around with a wary eye. Something was coming, of that I was sure. Whatever it was, I would be ready for it. I sank into a crouch, my gaze sweeping the churning sea of grass.

A roar echoed across the vast plain, and a dark shape crested the horizon. As it approached rapidly, I saw that it was massive. And flying on familiar wings.

I froze, my mouth falling open in stunned wonder. For so long I had hoped…I dared not get my hopes up now. But as the figure drew ever closer, I knew that this time, it was true. He was here.

"Igneel!" I yelled, running towards the massive scarlet dragon. He roared in response, gliding down on his thick, leathery wings to land a few hundred feet in front of me. Tears streamed down my face as I closed the distance between us and leapt up against my surrogate father's enormous shoulder. I clung to him with all my strength, sobbing shamelessly as I hugged him. He raised a clawed paw and pressed it to my back in a semblance of a hug.

"Igneel…I've missed you so much! What happened to you? Where are we? It's so good to see you again! So much has happened since you disappeared."

A deep chuckle rumbled through Igneel's armored chest. I slid to the ground and stepped back to peer up at him, beaming as tears trekked silently down my cheeks. _Natsu_, he said in his growling voice in my mind. _It has been a while. I always knew you were destined for greatness. I know I haven't been able to be with you these past fourteen years, but not a day has gone by when I haven't watched over you silently, from up here. I'm so proud of all you have accomplished, and what you've become. _

I blinked back more tears as my heart swelled with joy at his praise. But then I remembered where I was. "Igneel…I'm sorry. I failed when it mattered most. I…died." My voice broke on the last word, and I looked down in shame. "I abandoned all my friends and family when they needed me most. And now…I'll never get to see them again. I'll never get to tell them how much they mean to me." My voice grew quiet, and my tears turned bitter. Pain, raw and cruel, stabbed me repeatedly in the heart.

Igneel lifted a claw and tilted my chin up so I was forced to meet his deep, ancient gaze. A softness seemed to settle over him as he regarded me. _Natsu. There is no shame in death. We all must face it eventually. That is inevitable._ He heaved a great sigh, and it sounded like he'd resigned himself to something.

"So then…that time, when you disappeared…you really did die." Sorrow filled me. Sorrow for the little boy who'd chased after his father for fourteen years, never giving up hope. Would it have been better to have known the truth? Or to endure the painful, sometimes unbearable hope that was never confirmed or denied?

_No_, Igneel said, dragging out the word as he cocked his head thoughtfully. My head jerked up, and I regarded him with confusion.

"How is that possible? I'm here with you now. If you're not dead, then how is that possible?" A tiny bud of hope grew in my chest, not quite daring to bloom fully.

_You could say that we dragons decided that it was our time to leave the earth. The age of dragons was past. We'd trained our human protégés to succeed us, and decided to step back, out of the scene._

I stared up at Igneel, not understanding. Why would they do that? Suddenly, the air around me began to tremble again. I looked up and saw a dark cloud rising up from the horizon. As it rapidly ate up the distance, I was able to distinguish the shapes of individual wings beating in harmony with each other. It was a horde of dragons.

My eyes widened with wonder as they all began to swoop down and land around us, forming a circle with Igneel and me at the center. There were hundreds of them, all staring at us with their wise eyes. Two dragons right behind Igneel seemed strangely familiar, though I knew I'd never seen them in my life. They walked forward until they stood on either side of Igneel.

_Natsu, I believe you might recognize these two. Allow me to introduce to you Grandine, the Sky Dragon, and Metalicana, the Iron Dragon_. The dragons nodded to me in turn, and I felt a smile crease my face.

"Grandine! Metalicana! You're Wendy and Gajeel's parents!" They nodded back at me, and it seemed as though the Sky Dragon were smiling at me.

_Indeed_, she said in a deep, smooth voice. It vaguely resembled Porlyusica's voice, though not as harsh. _We all know about you, Natsu Dragneel. The mighty Fire Dragon. And I personally would like to thank you for looking after Wendy. She has a gentle soul, and I'm so glad she was able to find you._

_And I would like to express my thanks, too, Natsu Dragneel._ The Iron Dragon spoke in a gruff voice, somehow reminding me of Gajeel. _Gajeel was lost, but you allowed him to find his place. Thank you for helping him_.

I grinned up at them. "Thank you two for raising them to be such wonderful mages."

Suddenly, a new presence sounded in my mind, coming from behind me. I turned and saw two new dragons approaching me, one black and the other white. Something about these two was also familiar. "Sting and Rogue's parents, the White and Shadow Dragons!" Suddenly, I wished I hadn't mentioned the two Dragonslayers' names. After all, they had killed their dragon parents.

However, instead of getting angry, their expressions turned sad. _Indeed_, the White Dragon said. _Sting and Rogue were troubled and misguided. They allowed the greed in their hearts to consume them._ A sorrowful sigh escaped her. _But I have sensed a change in Sting's heart of late. I believe that is due to you, Natsu Dragneel. Thank you very much for saving my boy from himself._

I felt unexpectedly touched. Even though he had killed her, Weisslogia still loved Sting and wanted the best for him. The Shadow Dragon Skiadrum was regarding me with a solemn look of agreement, and I felt myself smile at them.

"They were quite messed up," I admitted, remembering a time that felt like eons ago. "But I think they've allowed themselves to remember a simpler time, before they were corrupt. A time when they had love, and family. I think that's starting to come back."

The two dragons gave noises of contentment in my mind, and I felt like I understood the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth a little better.

I turned around again when I heard Igneel's deep voice in my mind again. _Natsu. It has been truly good to see you again. _A feeling of dread crept over me at his words, and I knew that whatever was coming next would be hard._ However, it is not yet your time. This plain is the border between the worlds of the dead and the living. I have resided here for the past fourteen years, but those who have ventured here from the other side must shortly return. At that time, if you so desire, you may remain here or return to your friends. _

"What do you mean? This isn't death, then?" I furrowed my brow, feeling a mixture of fear and anticipation curl around my stomach. I'd only just found Igneel after so many years of searching and hoping. Who knew when I would be able to see him again, if ever?

_It is not. You will find that the barrier between life and death is thinner than you think, and easily traversed if one knows how. However, before you make your decision, I wish to show you something._ He moved back a few steps, as did all the other dragons. I looked around nervously, wondering what he could want to show me.

Suddenly, with a sound like a soft whisper of air, a shimmering orb appeared in front of me. I watched as it expanded, until it gradually stopped when it was as tall as I was and just as wide. I glanced at Igneel, wondering what I was supposed to be seeing. He nodded towards the sphere, and I returned my attention to it. After a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of movement. Taking a step closer, I realized that I was staring at the familiar burning street on which I had died. _Although apparently I didn't die as thoroughly as I'd thought._ A figure flashed across my view. A little girl with long blue hair tied back in two pigtails. Behind her came a tall, muscular blond man with a jagged scar going through his right eye. They were followed by numerous other mages, and all of them were streaked with soot and blood, their tears making tracks through the grime on their faces. Rage and anguish warred on their faces, and I thought I heard Wendy say, "We will avenge you, Natsu!"

I staggered back from the floating orb of light. _They…they think I'm dead. They're going to get themselves killed! Because of me!_ I clenched my fists. Then the sphere went black and red as an explosion struck them. I cried out, flinging my arm out as if I could grab them and bring them to safety. Grandine looked pained, but she bore it with silence. Tears spilled down my cheeks again, but when the smoke and flames cleared, I saw that I was staring at a different scene. From a bird's-eye view, I looked down on what appeared to be a large arena with stone walls. Sting was viciously attacking a woman with long purple hair and strange silver dot-like markings under her eyes and mouth and along her collarbone, as well as…Rogue? And there was Gray, battling Ultear. Ren and Sherry looked like they were battling for the kill, as well, their faces devoid of emotion and recognition.

A horrified gasp escaped me. "What's going on? What are they doing?"

But then the scene shifted again. Gajeel was roaring in fury, his arms transformed into long metal swords with vicious-looking edges. "Levy!" he yelled. I started, and saw that the waifish blunette was dangling limply from a blond man's arms. A stream of crimson blood was flowing down the side of her neck, matching the trickle of the substance running down from the corner of the man's mouth. He was grinning at the Iron Dragonslayer, a white bandage covering his nose. And a strange tattoo suddenly appeared on the side of his neck; a black rose with crimson vines snaking out from it. Only, the thorny vines had started to move, crawling across his skin towards the little trickle of blood on his chin. As soon as one of the tendrils touched it, the blood absorbed into the vine, and it slowly crawled back to its position on the man's neck, as though it had just fed, and now it was satisfied. I shuddered, noticing how his red eyes seemed to glow.

The scene went foggy as once again the orb revealed a different view. This time it showed a burning building, piles of flaming rubble littering the ground. A sinking feeling settled in my stomach as I wondered who would be revealed inside this site of destruction. Suddenly, a flash of blue caught my eye. A man with dark blue hair was laying face-down amidst the flames, unmoving. But then I saw a flicker of movement beneath him. A woman with long scarlet hair was lying beneath him, tears streaming down her anguished face.

"Jellal!" Erza screamed, pushing up on him until she was able to free herself enough to wriggle out from under him. The back of his coat was on fire, and she frantically patted it out as flames rained down around them.

"Erza! Jellal!" I yelled, rushing up to the orb. Stopping just before it, I ground my teeth in frustration. I couldn't do anything but watch my friends suffer. And then the view was switched to a blank, foggy landscape.

After a moment, a figure materialized in the vapor, looking like a wraith. Her blonde hair framed her pale, nervous face as she looked around. Numerous cuts and bruises adorned her face and bare shoulders, and I could see that her clothes were torn and dirty. My heart clenched as I watched her frantic eyes dart around, trying to discern a shape through the concealing haze.

"Yukino!" she called, her voice strangely muted in the fog. "Where are you?" Suddenly, she stumbled, nearly falling as she peered down at the ground, presumably looking for whatever had tripped her. A horrified gasp escaped her lips as she sank to her knees. I squinted to try to make out whatever she was looking at.

And then I caught the flash of silvery hair as Lucy lifted Yukino's head onto her lap. The girl was unconscious, a trickle of blood coming from her mouth. At least it was her own, I thought with a shudder as I recalled the man with the blood-eating tattoo.

Guilt consumed me as I thought of the two celestial spirit mages all by themselves. I should've been with them. If something happened to their keys, they would be dead in a flash.

Suddenly, a strange rumbling noise pervaded the sphere, and Lucy glanced around in terror, frantically searching for the source of the noise. I heard a faint laughter echoing through the fog, deep and rich. But also undoubtedly evil. Lucy spun around, pulling Yukino closer to her and tightening her hold on the girl.

But the next moment, the ground around them erupted, water spraying everywhere, and the girls plummeted through the open ground, screaming.

"Lucy!" I screamed, ready to jump into the orb to save her. However, the images slowly faded from the sphere, leaving it blank once more. I clenched my jaw and squeezed my fists, flames starting to sprout from my arms.

"Igneel," I said, barely managing to keep my voice at a normal level. All I wanted to do was run until I found my partner, and then destroy the one who dared to attack her. For a moment, I was caught off guard by the ferocity of my protective urges. "I have made my decision. I will return to my friends, to save them. And this time, I won't fail."

The giant red dragon regarded me knowingly. _Very well. However, before you go, there is something I must tell you, and one last skill I will teach you._

I looked up at Igneel in anticipation, knowing that I would soon be reunited with my friends, this time with the power to save them. He approached me with a solemn air, and crouched down so that his immense head was on a level with me, not two feet away from my chest. I reached out a hand and laid it on his warm, familiar nose. Images of a young boy with unruly pink hair laughing and playing as he clung to this very snout flashed through my mind. A small smile touched my lips as I realized that I'd come full circle and found my father again. But this time, I would be the one leaving him. My eyes drifted closed as I heard his deep voice rumbling through my mind.

But then they shot open and I stared up at him in horror. "Igneel…."

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_Lucy_

I screamed as I fell through empty air, the mist slithering over my skin. Desperately, I pulled Yukino closer to me so that she wouldn't be sent flying in a different direction. We'd already been separated once, after rendering the townspeople unconscious. And this was the state I'd found the other celestial spirit mage in. I couldn't let it happen again.

We hit the bottom of whatever chasm we'd fallen into, and I gasped with pain. Slowly, I sat up and reached over to Yukino, who was still lying unconscious. However, I saw that we weren't in a chasm at all—not two inches away from Yukino's prone form was empty air and a view of a sparkling blue ocean reflecting the light of the late afternoon sun. Another gasp—this time of shock—slipped past my lips as I looked frantically around. We were on a rocky ledge, a cliff wall immediately to my left stretching up for about twenty feet. High overhead, I saw the craggy edges of an outcropping—or what had been one, as we'd just fallen through it and were lying amidst the pieces of rock that had landed on this ledge with us. _Wow, it sure was lucky that this ledge was here to catch us…._

Against my better judgment, I leaned over Yukino to peer down to the base of the cliff. White-crested waves broke against the rocky wall, throwing fine sprays of mist into the air. They also crashed against a cluster of sharp rocks standing right off the wall. I gulped and pulled back, suddenly terrified that the ledge would break and send us plummeting to the rough crags below. In an effort to make the weight on the ledge with us less, I began scooping the chunks of rock off the edge. The waves down below were too loud for me to hear the rocks hitting the water, but I imagined that I could hear them striking the waves and rocks, as would our bodies if this ledge broke.

"Unh…Lucy-san…?"

I turned my attention to the silver-haired mage lying at my side. "Yukino-san! How are you feeling?"

She turned her head to look at me as her eyelids fluttered open. "Lucy-san. What happened to me? There was someone…a man, I think, and—wait, are we on a cliff?!" Yukino sat up in a panic, scooting as far away from the edge as she could.

I put my arm around Yukino's shoulders to comfort her and could feel her shaking. She was usually a rather quiet girl, and rarely showed this much emotion.

"I—I'm afraid of the water," she said in a quiet voice, not meeting my gaze.

I gaped at her for a moment. "Afraid of the water?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"I can't swim, see," she explained, looking at me with pleading eyes. "I almost drowned as a child, actually. But Pisces saved me. That's how I got their key, you know." Yukino sniffed fearfully and clutched her hands to her chest as to stop its wild beating.

"Don't worry," I said with a confident smile. "We'll get off of this ledge, without even having to touch the water. You'll see, everything will be just fine. We'll go find Natsu, too, and I'm sure by the time we do, he'll have things all taken care of."

She nodded gratefully, and I helped her to her feet, keeping an arm around her.

"Well, isn't this touching?" a husky voice said from above us.

I tensed and looked up. A figure stood atop the precipice above, looking down at us with a small smile on his face. His black hair was long and ragged, the tips of the bottom layer just brushing his shoulders. A blond streak with a pink streak right next to it cut across the right side of his bangs, which fell across his forehead and almost covered his pale blue eyes. Said eyes were ringed with black eyeliner. He wore a white zip-up vest with black spiral designs, and matching pants tucked into a pair of black combat boots. A thick black belt hung at a slant around his hips, layers of silver chains hanging from it. His wrists were covered with thick black bands, and several necklaces glinted around his neck. A plain black ribbon was tied around his right bicep, and his left hand was covered by a fingerless black glove with metal studs across the knuckles. He looked just like a Visual Kei J-rocker.

"I'm afraid you'd be very disappointed if you could see your friend now. Because you won't be seeing him again. Not alive, anyways. My comrade has already dealt with him, and the rest of your friends are soon to follow." He crouched down, resting his forearms on his knees. "As are you."

A vibration ran through the cliff ledge, and Yukino paled as I gasped and clutched at the wall. A sucking noise seemed to come from down below, immediately followed by a tremendous splash. My mouth fell open as I looked out and saw a colossal serpent rising out of the churning waters. It towered over us, its sleek black coils peeking out of the water as it peered down at us. Glossy, rainbow-hued fins protruded from the sides of its massive head, reminiscent of an oil slick.

And it opened its jaws to reveal rows upon rows of long, razor-sharp fangs, its pink tongue flicking out to taste the air. Yukino and I stood frozen to the spot as the leviathan watched us with hungry black eyes.

_Oh…crap._

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**Haha now you guys can breathe again! Natsu's alive! :D But they're not out of the deep end yet. ;) Please stay tuned for the next chapter and remember to fave, follow and review! :D Thank you for reading! **


	10. Chapter 10 - The Magic-Eater

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for taking so long to upload. I'm on vacation right now, so it might take a while to upload the next chapter, too. :( Anyways, a big thank you to **Shonnyterra**, **Lightmoon54**, **FoxOnPie**, **severedserenity**, **FT-ATLAB-PJO-HOO-DP**, and **Rin (guest)** for reviewing on Chapter 9! I hope you guys like this chapter! Don't forget to leave a review after you finish reading! :D

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Chapter Ten – The Magic-Eater

_Gajeel_

The blond man with the bandage across his nose released Levy and she slumped to the ground, unconscious. Horror filled me when I saw the black rose tattoo that appeared on the side of his neck start moving. Crimson vines snaked out across his neck and extended up one side of his face. These same vines were now crawling across his jaw towards the drop of Levy's blood that had leaked from one corner of his mouth. As soon as they made contact, the blood was…absorbed into the thorny tendril. As the vines crept back to their original positions, a shiver wracked my body. It seemed almost as if…the rose grew a little redder.

"You monster!" I roared, charging at him now that he was no longer holding Levy.

"Solid Script: Oil."

I gasped in surprise when the sticky black substance shot out of Sitri's hands. _That's…Levy's…._ In my shock, I didn't have time to react and get out of the way fast enough. A wall of oil crashed around me, and I was pulled into the air, my limbs stretched out as I hung there, motionless. I growled, narrowing my eyes in frustration. "How did you do that? You used Levy's magic."

"His parfum reeks of pain and death," Ichiya exclaimed, his eyes widening as he was unable to back away.

He smiled, but it didn't reach his blood-red eyes. "Indeed. This is my magic, now. My magic allows me to consume the magic of my opponents. I use their magic to immobilize my enemies, and then I can repeat the process of draining them. Permanently."

A thread of panic wove its way through me as I looked down at Levy's small form again. Still unconscious, she looked pale and feverish, and her breathing was labored. _No…_ "You mean, you stole her magic? Forever?"

"That's right." He stepped over Levy as he strode calmly towards me. "And I will now be taking yours, Dragonslayer. I'd imagine that your magic will taste quite a bit better than her pitiful Script magic. So please, cooperate and just stand still while I drain you. Not that you have a choice," he added with a chuckle. "Your girlfriend's magic was useful for one thing after all; aiding in your demise."

I struggled against the oil trapping my limbs, but to no avail. Since my arms and legs were out of commission, I sucked in a breath and shouted, "Iron Dragon's Roar!" The cyclone of iron magic blasted a path in front of me. Tense, I waited for the smoke to clear. When it settled, I saw that Sitri—one of the so-called Princes of Hell—was no longer there.

"Well, aren't we feisty?" The voice whispered in my ear, causing me to twist my head around in shock. I hadn't even seen him move! "I will very much enjoy watching the fight drain from your body."

I cried out as a sharp pain pierced my neck, at the fleshy part where it joined my shoulder. In the next instant, though, his teeth were ripped from my flesh and the oil holding me captive disintegrated. I fell to the ground, clutching my bleeding shoulder. Turning, I saw that all the other members of our team had freed themselves from whatever enchantment had been holding us prisoner.

Fried rushed to Levy's side, creating a rune barrier around her to keep her safe. Lisanna went with him, crouching down next to Levy and taking her head in her lap. Risley was altering Sitri's gravity while Mirajane transformed into her demon form and flew at him with her claws bared. However, at the last second, he calmly leaped up into the air, dodging Mira's attack and then coming back down on her back. He moved so fast I had trouble keeping up with him. Risley gasped and tried to alter his gravity again, but he turned toward her and ran at her, a cold smile on his face. She screamed as he raked his nails across her cheek. As he skidded to a stop and spun around in a crouch, I could see that his nails had turned into long, wickedly sharp black claws.

Beth ran over to her guildmate, tears streaming down her freckled cheeks. Ichiya, who had been attending to Levy's wound, also ran over to administer healing parfum to the chubby Mermaid.

"Lightning God's Charged Particle Cannon!" Orga leveled his magic towards Sitri, a confident smirk on his face. We all watched with baited breath, not daring to hope, but not quite believing that anyone could survive that blast.

And then, the croaking gurgle as Sitri appeared before Orga and slammed a sword through his stomach up to its hilt.

"You must be stronger and smarter if you wish to defeat me," he deadpanned. The utter lack of emotion in his cold voice sent chills down my spine. "I hold the power of hundreds of mages within my body, their magic at my disposal." Sitri withdrew the blade from Orga's stomach with a sick sucking noise, and the Godslayer crumpled into the blond mage's waiting arms. I noted idly that he must be very strong to be able to hold up the not-so-slight bulk of the green-haired Sabertooth member.

When he brought his mouth down to Orga's throat, we all rushed forward, knowing that we had to prevent him from draining another's magic at all costs. Jura leapt into the fray, using his Iron Rock Fist to send a powerful attack at Sitri that still contained enough precision to not damage Orga at the same time. But before it had a chance to hit him, Sitri grabbed Orga and flew into the air, hovering far above our heads.

Bixlow sent his dolls after him, assembling them in Baryon Formation to send a powerful blast at him. Sitri easily dodged, his long white coat flapping in the wind. The thin silver chains hanging from his collar that attached to his shoulders and front of his coat reflected the light of the late afternoon sun.

"Carrot Missiles!" Beth yelled, unleashing a barrage of over-sized carrots. Instead of dodging, he chose to reflect them back at the country girl and her injured guildmate. She gasped in fear, her eyes widening as she realized that she wouldn't be able to get out of the way in time and take Risley with her. I flung my arm out towards them, turning it into a giant metal pole that deflected the missiles and sent them careening in all different directions.

With a furious cry, Mirajane launched herself into the air, a black cape fluttering around her as flames shot from her feet. My eyes widened as I recognized the form, the most deadly in her repertoire.

"Satan Soul: Sitri," she snarled, latching onto Sitri's ankle before he had time to dodge. As she was unable to fly in this form, she pulled him back down to earth with her, a murderous expression on her pretty face.

"So, you have a Take Over that enables you to take on the form of the demon Sitri." He twisted out of her grasp just before they hit the ground. As the two of them circled each other, he smirked coldly and shifted Orga's weight in his arms, still not putting the other mage down. "Well, looks like we'll just have to see which one of us is more suited to bear that name," he purred, licking his lips. "I will love adding that ability to my own."

"Like hell you will." She ran at him with her enhanced speed, spewing flames in her wake. Sitri danced out of her way, but she suddenly reappeared behind him, catching him off guard as she socked him in the back. Before he could stumble forward, her arm snaked around his throat, pulling him back against her body as she tightened her hold.

His face registered mild annoyance as he was forced to finally relinquish his hold on Orga to use both hands to snap out of her hold. Without sprouting wings, he took to the air again. Mira followed, using her flames as rocket boosters to fly through the air.

As they battled it out overhead, I hurried over to where Levy still lay on the ground, unconscious. "Fried, you go help Mira. I'll stay here to protect Levy."

With a nod, the green-haired mage whipped out his sword and began writing runes in the air before him. "Dark Écriture: Absolute Shadow!" After the light around him faded, his red coat was covered with dark armor and he wore a helmet with a pointy chin. Glowing red eyes peered through the slits in the helmet. "Dark Écriture: Wings!" His sword once again sliced through the air to form the runes. As soon as the purple rune wings appeared, he took off into the air, kicking up a small cloud of dust in his wake.

I watched them longingly for a moment, wanting to join in with the battle. Fried used his Dark Écriture to write the runes for Fear and Suffering on Sitri. With a snarl, the blond mage burned them away. In his momentary distraction, Mirajane sent a wave of pure dark energy at him. He was knocked back a few meters, but unleashed a torrent of black flames on the others that sent them flying backwards through the air.

Clenching my jaw, I tore my gaze away from the melee overhead. Levy needed me more right now. I knelt down beside her, noticing that the puncture wounds on her neck had faded. All that was left was a smear of crimson across her throat. I took her hand in mine and gestured for Lisanna to relinquish her to me. She complied, and I slid my other arm beneath her shoulders. Pulling her to my chest, I let her head rest on my shoulder as I stared down at her. Sweat beaded her brow as she gasped for breath, locked in darkness's cold embrace.

I was vaguely aware of Lisanna pulling away to cheer on her sister, but my attention was now focused solely on the girl in my arms. She felt so small, so fragile. Her hand was cold in my grasp, and I suddenly became afraid that she would never wake up. "Levy! Oi, Shorty! Wake up!" I tightened my grip on her hand, willing my strength to flow into her.

Slowly, her eyelids began to flicker, her brow furrowed as though in pain. I bent close, willing her eyes to open faster. After a tense moment, they did, her hazel eyes sliding into view. Her eyes were unfocused, as if she were caught in the throes of a severe fever. "Ga…jeel…?" she whispered hoarsely. I cupped her face, guiding her gaze to my own. Once she was able to focus on my face, I scowled at the amount of exertion that had taken. What was this overwhelming need to protect her? Why did I want to keep her close and never let her go again? And why couldn't I get her anguished screams out of my head? My jaw clenched at the memory. _It must be because she's so small. She's like a child. That's it; I'm just feeling protective of her because she looks like a child._ Then why did my gaze keep flickering to her lips…?

"Stay with me, Levy. Hang in there." I suddenly realized that our faces were mere inches apart, her labored breaths mingling with my anxious ones. She must have realized this, too, for a slight blush crept across her pale cheeks. It made her vivid hazel eyes stand out more, and matched the hue of her trembling lips….

I looked away hastily, feeling my own face heat up. What was up with me? Only when I felt her body go limp again did I turn back. Her eyes were closed, her mouth gaping slightly as she struggled to breathe. The flush in her cheeks had deepened, but this time, I knew it was from fever. Gently, I wiped the sweat from her brow and then cleaned the smears of blood from her neck, my heart clenching with hatred as I did so. _I should've been able to protect her. I could've prevented this from happening. _

"Levy…" I whispered. "I swear I will avenge you. I will kill that demon, and I will find a way to restore your magic."

A cough wracked her small body, and I pressed her face into the side of my neck as I cradled her in my arms. I felt her eyelashes fluttering as her eyes opened again. Pulling back, I peered down at her. She was focused on me now, her eyes more clear than they had been a moment before. "Gajeel, my magic. It's all gone. I can't feel it anymore." A tear slid down her cheek before her eyes glazed over again, pain etching itself into her delicate features. A whimper of fear and pain slipped past her lips, and I felt something wet on my own cheek. Looking up, I saw that it wasn't raining. With confusion, I brought my hand up to touch the patch of wetness. My fingers came away wet with water. Salty water, I noticed after licking the droplet off. Then…these were tears. I grew even more confused when I looked back down at Levy and realized that I must be crying because of her. _What's going on with me?_ Her eyes were closed again, but she looked slightly more comfortable. I felt a flutter of something in my chest. Relief? Yes, relief was there. But there was something else. Something warm and…fluttery?

I growled, not liking that I didn't even know what was going on with my own body anymore. A sudden image of Ren staring affectionately down at Sherry popped into my mind. _What the hell is this?!_ _Is this supposed to mean that…I…__?_ Looking down at Levy again, I had the most outrageous urge to press my lips to hers. Why the heck would I do that, though? That was what you did when you were in love with someone. And I most certainly was not in love with Levy…was I?

_There's only one way to find out._ Almost before I'd sanctioned it, my head started dipping towards hers. I was taken aback by the rapid beating of my heart, almost as though I was excited, or nervous. Steeling myself, I closed the last few inches between us and slanted my mouth over hers. My eyes slid shut as I felt just the faintest brush of her lips against mine. Then I jerked back, my eyes flying open. I gasped, staring down at Levy with a mixture of awe and fear. It was as though I had been shocked and then tossed into a pot of freezing fire.

Not wanting to think about what this meant, I returned my attention to the battle still raging on above us. After all, finding a way to take down Sitri was our priority right now.

* * *

_Lucy_

_Oh…crap._

The giant sea monster coiled back in preparation to strike. Yukino and I shrieked, leaping to opposite sides of the narrow ledge as the monster's head crashed into the cliff wall where we'd been standing not a second before. I coughed in the dust that rose up from the chunks of rock that were dislodged. The sea monster pulled back, shaking its head. I knew that it would be back to finish us at any second. And if it failed to get us again, then it would just bash the cliff until it crumbled and sent us plummeting to the ocean below.

"Gate of the Scorpion, I open thee: Scorpio!" The tan celestial spirit appeared on the ledge beside me, a grin on his face.

"We are!" he drawled. "Got it. I'll take care of that giant snake!"

"Mm! I leave it to you, Scorpio!"

He got down on all fours, aiming his scorpion tail at the sea serpent. "Sand Buster!" A cyclone of sand shot out of his stinger, spiraling towards the serpent. However, with a lazy flick of its head, the massive serpent sent a jet of water out of its mouth, blasting away the sand like it was nothing. The stream of water continued on its course towards the cliff, and we all dove to the ground to avoid being hit. As the wave of water crashed down around us, I clung to the cliff wall with all my might, knowing that I could easily be swept off the ledge along with the water.

Yukino screamed in fear, clinging to the cliff beside me. As soon as the water finished cascading off the ledge, I reached my hand out to her. "Yukino-chan! Give me your hand!"

She looked up at me, tears streaming down her fearful face. Shaking, she crawled over to me and grabbed my hand, squeezing it like it was her last chance at survival.

Scorpio bowed his head in apology as he faded back into the Spirit Realm. "I'm sorry, Miss Lucy-san. I don't think I'll be of much help here."

I grabbed my keys frantically, seeing the serpent crane its head back to aim another jet at us. "Aries, Taurus, Cancer, Capricorn…none of my spirits can fly, so they wouldn't be much use against this monster. If only we could get to the top of the cliff…." I trailed off as an idea struck me. "Yukino! Use Libra to alter our gravity so that we can get to the top of the cliff. We'll be in a better position if we can make it that far."

"But what about that guy?" she asked worriedly. "He's still up there."

We both looked up. The rocker guy was still perched on the edge of the cliff, looking down at us in amusement. Maybe if we took him out, the sea serpent would go away.

"It's a risk we have to take," I said, forcing more determination into my voice than I felt. We latched onto the wall just as the blast of water hit us, threatening to tear us from the cliff. Sputtering as the water receded again, I flung my wet hair from my eyes. Gasping from the dowsing, I turned to Yukino again. "If we want to stay alive long enough for help to come, or have any chance of defeating these guys by ourselves, we need to be on more stable ground. One more blast like this and we are most likely tumbling to our death." As if to prove my point, a little more of the ledge crumbled.

She nodded her understanding. "Gate of the Heavenly Scales, I open thee: Libra!" The celestial spirit appeared in a flash of light, her golden scales swinging from the chains that attached to rings on her fingers.

We braced ourselves as the serpent reared its head again, this time making to snap us up in its jaws. "Ready…"

The serpent lunged towards us, its neck lengthening out as it opened its toothy maw.  
"Set…"

"Go!" We were flung into the air by the sudden shift in gravity just as the beast's snout crashed into the ledge. I heard the rocks breaking apart as the ledge crumbled, falling away into the ocean below. As soon as we cleared the cliff, we threw our weight towards the ground as Libra once again switched our gravity. We skidded across the cliff as we landed, and I caught a glimpse of the surprised face of the guy who had summoned the serpent to begin with.

"Oof!" Yukino and I collapsed in a heap a few meters from the black-haired man. He straightened and walked over to us, a curious look on his face.

Hastily jumping to our feet, we prepared to fight. One hand went to my Fleuve d'étoiles while the other reached into the pouch that contained my keys, and Yukino brandished her own Gate Keys.

"How interesting." The man stopped a few feet in front of us, his head cocked to the side and a small smile on his face. "So you two use summoning magic, as well. This should be fun. A battle between the strength of our chosen vessels…I can't wait to see the outcome. But I'm afraid you two are at a disadvantage," he continued. His voice was deep and husky, as if he didn't use it much. "You see, you two have to use other objects to call forth your spirits. I, on the other hand, use only my own power. So you do understand that if I were to separate you from your keys, you would be helpless, right?"

I glared at him. "Who do you think you are? Worry about your own self! Because we're going to beat you, with or without our keys!"

He quirked an eyebrow at me in amusement. "Well, well, aren't we feisty? I think I should enjoy this very much. Too bad you aren't more powerful, or I might actually have to try."

Now that Yukino was back on solid ground, she had regained her cold wits. "Lucy-chan, let's do this."

"Mm. If we attack him at the same time, there should be no way for him to defend against both of us and our spirits!"

We nodded at each other, and I drew Leo's and Capricorn's keys from my pouch while Yukino added Pisces and kept Libra out. Shouting at the same time, we summoned our spirits. A bunch of flashes appeared as our spirits crossed over into our world.

"Lucy-sama, it's good to see you again," Capricorn said with a bow. Loki winked at me and gave a little finger wave to Yukino. Pisces was in their giant fish state, twisting through the air as they watched the man in front of us.

"Loki, Capricorn, I need you to take out that man," I said, pointing. As the spirits turned around, I saw them blanch.

"Well, well, look who's joined the party. It has been a while, hasn't it? Leo, Capricorn?" The man grinned lazily and waggled his be-ringed fingers at the spirits.

Loki clenched his teeth, his eyes wide. "Lucy, that man is…very powerful."

"You know him?" I asked in surprise, looking between them all. Yukino was giving Pisces and Libra a concerned look, as her spirits had apparently also noticed who stood before them.

"In a manner of speaking. We spirits all know of the legendary Leviathan-tamer. Kaarme." A grimace crossed his face as he nodded in grudging respect at the rocker guy—Kaarme?

Hanging his thumbs on his belt, Kaarme grinned roguishly. "Yo."

"Will you be able to defeat him?" I asked, my eyes widening in panic.

After a tense moment during which I wondered if I would receive an answer, Loki sighed and raked a hand through his coppery hair. "We will try our hardest, Lucy. You know that."

I was filled with even more trepidation than before. Loki had completely evaded my question, leaving me to conclude that we would be fighting for our lives rather than to defeat Kaarme. With a determined breath, I turned to Yukino. Loki was right; we would give it our best, until the bitter end.

"We have no choice but to fight alongside them. I have my Fleuve d'étoiles. Is there something you can use?"

Sealing her fears behind a determined mask, Yukino shook her head. But just then, another flash of light heralded the arrival of a celestial spirit. After the light disappeared, I saw a familiar pink-haired maid standing there, carrying something in her hands.

"Princess, is it time for punishment?"

I ground my teeth in irritation. "Virgo! This is not the time! Why are you here?"

Huffing in annoyance, she held aloft her hands and the item she carried in them. "I have brought a weapon for Yukino-sama. Please use this celestial staff, Yukino-sama. I hope it will help." With a final bow, Virgo handed the black staff to Yukino. Gold designs ran up and down its sleek length, shimmering in the light of the dipping sun. Yukino accepted it with a bow, running her hands up and down the staff with a look of awe.

"Now that you're fully armed," Kaarme said, stretching his arms up above his head as he yawned, "let's get on with this. There's not much time left, and I have my orders to follow." He straightened, moving his hands in a pattern in front of him.

This was the first I'd heard of them acting under orders. Who was giving them? If we could find a way to take out the control center, I bet we would have a much greater chance of beating them. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to muse on this further, as Kaarme spoke his next words….

"Leviathan of the Sky, I summon thee."

My ears suddenly started throbbing as a great pressure filled the air and the earth began rumbling. Yukino fell to her knees, clutching her head as she glared up at Kaarme. "What are you doing?" she shouted accusingly. A sudden wind rose around us, whipping our clothes and hair about. Yukino and I held our skirts down as best we could, but when I had to let go to keep my shirt down, my skirt flew up and I saw Loki look over with interest.

"Pervert!" I shouted, falling to my knees beside Yukino as I spat hair out of my mouth.

"What am I doing?" Kaarme asked calmly in response to Yukino's question, unaffected by the gale-force winds and pressure. "Why, summoning my own spirit. Prepare to see what a real Celestial Spirit Mage can do."

And with that, a flash of light so large it knocked us all off our feet splintered through the air. I gasped as tears sprung to my eyes. Once I was able to see again, I wished I couldn't. For there, standing before us, was a dragon. The largest dragon I'd ever seen, its black scales glistening like an oil slick. Glowing red eyes peered down at us as it hovered above our heads, its massive wings spread out.

"The Leviathan of the Sky," Loki murmured at my side.

Fear gripped me with an iron fist. I felt lightheaded and realized that I'd been holding my breath and forgot to release it. Gasping in a shuddering breath, I slowly got to my feet, unable to tear my gaze away from the behemoth before us. _Oh God…if there is a God…please, please don't let it end like this. Not here, not now. Please, send someone to help us…._

_Lucy! Don't worry, I'm coming! Hang in there!_

I gasped again, almost falling to the ground in shock. _Natsu?_ Looking around, I couldn't see any trace of the pink-haired mage. But I had clearly heard his voice…. I shook my head, refocusing on the dragon before me. It was wishful thinking on my part to think that I'd heard Natsu. He was off fighting his own battles. I couldn't rely on him forever.

Taking a deep breath, I took a step forward, facing the monstrous black beast. "We will fight!" I cried, summoning all my courage and strength. Cracking my celestial whip, I lunged forward with the others, determined to just stay alive.

Loki used his light of Regulus to send balls of fire at the leviathan while Capricorn attacked on the other side. Pisces launched its own double assault while Libra altered the beast's gravity, making it crash down to the earth. I fell to my knees as it made the whole cliff shake, losing my hold on my whip. Crying out, I scrambled after it, but stopped short when I saw a black boot come down on its handle.

Kaarme crouched down, picking up my whip in a slow, deliberate manner. "Ooh, that's a pretty weapon. Fleuve d'étoiles, am I right?"

I ground my teeth and stood up. "Give it back."

He raised an eyebrow. "Now, now. That's not how it works, love. I'm afraid you'll have to take it from me by force if you want it back. Good luck with that." He smirked as he cracked it and then aimed its fiery length at me.

A scream tore from my throat as my own whip wound around me, pinning my arms to my sides. I struggled against my confines, trying desperately to free my arms. Kaarme spun around me, leaving his arms wrapped around me as he came up behind me.

"Come now, Lucy," he whispered in my ear. I could feel his breath stirring my hair, and I suppressed a shudder at the intimacy of the action. "Surely you can do better than that. Let's see what you've got." Spinning away again, he released me from the whip and danced back a few steps. "Come at me with all you've got!" he shouted gleefully.

Gritting my teeth, I ran at him as fast as I could. He smiled, anticipating that I would try to wrestle the whip away from him. But I had a different plan in mind. As I neared him, I checked my angle and calculated my velocity. _Just…a little…more…._ With the last of my strength, I launched myself at him. His eyes widened as he realized what I was doing. But it was too late. We connected, and I wound my arms around his waist, preventing any escape. My momentum carried us over the edge of the cliff, and I felt my stomach get left behind as we fell through empty air.

"Lucy!" someone yelled, but I couldn't make out any distinguishing characteristics of the voice with the wind rushing in my ears. The waves and rocks were fast approaching now, and I saw the shadow of the sea leviathan as it watched us with its hungry black eyes. Idly, I wondered if it would try to eat me if I was clinging to its master. I clenched my eyes shut tightly, refusing to watch my death unfold. I felt Kaarme grabbing my arms as we plummeted, and thought I heard him shout something, but I was too busy uttering my last fervent prayer.

_Please…if anyone's listening, please take care of my friends. I don't want them to live in sorrow or fear._

As the dark water rapidly approached, only one phrase kept repeating in my head. _Natsu…please…save me._

* * *

**Ooh~. What do you think is going to happen? Will someone be there to save Lucy before she dies? o.O Dun dun duuuuuuun! Please stay tuned for the next update and don't forget to review, fave and follow! ;) **


	11. Chapter 11 - Natsu's Return!

A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for taking so long to upload. :( But I'm back! :D Unfortunately, break is going to be ending after this week, and I have some big papers to complete that I've been…ahem…putting off for quite some time, so I might be gone for another long while. :( Anyways, I have some people to thank and things to say about this chapter! But we'll start with thank yous! Today's thanks go to **fairyofthelake**, **FoxOnPie**, **severedserenity**, and **Shonnyterra** for reviewing on Chapter 10! And to **InfernaLux** for following! (Sorry everyone else who has been reviewing and following/favoriting already…I've been a lazy douche bag and haven't been thanking everyone until these last few chapters. :( Gomenasai! So I'll just say, "Thank you to everyone else who has reviewed, favorited or followed! From now on, I will be doing this thanking thing every chapter."

Anyways, on to the note about this chapter…I know before that I had said that Kaarme, has dark eyes, but I decided to change that and make them pale blue. :3 I have already gone back and changed that in the ninth chapter, for any future readers. Sorry about that! And also, I have added a pink streak in his hair next to the blond one. I know you all don't really care about the fine details, but I feel bad about letting you go on imagining him a different way. O.o So anyways, thank you for your patience if you actually took the time to read all this! I'll shut up and let you get to the story now. :)

* * *

Chapter Eleven – Natsu's Return!

_Juvia_

I was sent flying backwards by another blast of heat as Aprindere lazily flung his arm out. He smirked as Evergreen's hair caught fire. She shrieked and fell to the ground, trying to smother it by rolling. Elfman roared in anger as he attempted to assist, but only ended up catching his shirt on fire.

"You idiot! Look what you've done! You've only made it worse by catching yourself on fire now, too! Why can't you ever think?" Evergreen shouted amidst the ruckus and flailing limbs.

"A real man never stands by while a woman is on fire!" Elfman bellowed in response, unfazed in his attempts to pat out the fire in Evergreen's hair.

Suppressing the urge to roll my eyes, I used my magic to put out the fires. They laid there panting on their backs as they dripped water, which was already starting to rise off their bodies as steam from the heat that engulfed us like a cloud. Most of Elfman's shirt was burned away, leaving streaks of soot across his chest along with several scorch marks. Evergreen's hair was smoking from its ragged ends, which were now several inches shorter than they had been.

Another shriek from Wendy's direction alerted me to the Dragonslayer's fiery predicament, and I quickly doused the flames with water. Fortunately, my water magic seemed to be pretty effective against this explosion mage, and I could tell that he was starting to get annoyed. He shot me a nasty look as I put out yet another fire caused by his explosions.

"Water Jigsaw!" My body transformed into a rapidly spinning cyclone of water blades as I launched myself at Aprindere. His eyes widened in horror as he aimed an explosion at me. Droplets of water were sent flying every which direction, but were immediately drawn back into the cyclone just before I slammed into him. He yelled as the blades sliced his suit jacket to ribbons and left him flat on his back. Returning to my more humanoid state, I landed behind him in a crouch as I watched in intently.

He rose to his feet, panting and dripping blood. Shock and rage warred on his face as he regarded me with wide gold eyes. "What _are_ you?" he asked in a repulsed voice.

I froze in shock. Blinked a few times. Memories flooded me from a time I'd all but forgotten in the joy of belonging to a guild that appreciated me. In my mind's eye, I saw other children my age pointing at me and laughing.

"Look," they taunted, throwing wads of paper at me. "It's that freak who always makes it rain. It's so depressing when she's around…let's tie her to the desk, so she can't come out to recess with us and ruin the nice weather!" And so I spent the next hour tied to a desk, all alone in the classroom as I watched the other children playing through the window. Having fun without me.

Later, when the wads of paper were replaced with bigger objects, their taunting took on a new edge. A memory fluttered across my mind of a group of children surrounding me on the day of a field trip.

"Stupid rain girl!" one of them shouted. "Because of you, it's storming so much that we can't go on the field trip! Why don't you just go away!" A textbook flew through the air towards my head.

Not knowing what else to do, I made my body turn to water, allowing the book to pass harmlessly through my head. As the book slid across the desk behind me, the other students gaped in silence.

"You are…made of water? What are you, freak?!" they cried, half of the class throwing more books at me while the other half ran as far away from me as the room would permit. "No one will ever like a freak like you!"

_No one…will ever like a freak like me. Maybe they were right, all along. That must be why Gray-sama seems so disgusted with my affections. _My eyes widened as I recalled the way he always ignored my advances. _Does he…think that I'm a freak?_ Tears filled my eyes as I pondered the ramifications.

"JUVIA!"

My head snapped up as I heard Lyon calling my name, a panicked note in his voice. Time seemed to slow as I saw him running towards me, and I wondered why he was doing so with such a horrified look on his face. And then I saw the huge, flaming chunk of roof headed straight for me.

"Good bye, freak," Aprindere said in a sing-song voice.

I closed my eyes, knowing that I wouldn't have time to move. Something slammed into me, and I was sent sprawling to the ground. But it didn't crush me, like I'd been expecting. Hesitantly, I cracked first one eye open, and then the other. My eyes widened in shock as I saw a familiar white-haired ice mage standing in front of me, a wall of ice in front of his outstretched hands. The flaming debris slammed into the ice, sending cracks across its surface. But the wall held, much to my relief. Lyon slowly lowered his arms, once he was sure that the wall was going to hold. He turned to me, a slight smile on his face. For a moment, in the golden firelight and falling rain, I thought that he…looked like a prince.

_Juvia! _I yelled in my head. _How could you betray Gray-sama that way? Gray-sama is your only prince!_

Another voice chimed in with a snide tone. _Yeah, and he isn't ever going to return your feelings, is he? But there is a perfectly handsome man standing right in front of you, who actually cares for you! _

_But what if Gray-sama does return my feelings one day?_ I wailed to the other voice. _I can't give up on him!_

_So you're just going to waste your life away pining after some man while you wait for the ghost of a day when he'll turn around and realize that he loves you, too? What if it never comes?_ The last was said in a quiet voice. There was a moment of silence before it spoke again. _You deserve happiness, too, Juvia._

_I deserve…happiness._ My cheeks flushed as I stared up at Lyon, wide-eyed. He met my gaze with a concerned look.

"Juvia? Are you okay?" He took a step towards me.

"J-Juvia is confused," I stammered softly, propping myself up on my elbows as my cheeks turned even redder.

Lyon crouched down in front of me, gently tilting my chin so that he could look into my face. I refused to meet his searching gaze as I cast my eyes to the side. After a moment, Lyon released me and I snuck a glance at him. A knowing smile stretched his lips, and his cheeks looked pinker than they had a moment ago.

_W-wait! Does he know what I was thinking?! Kyaah! So embarrassing! _

My flustered thoughts were interrupted when Aprindere exploded a stall behind us. I jumped a little, realizing that I'd actually forgotten about him for a moment! In the middle of battle! _Juvia, what are you doing?! Allowing yourself to get distracted by Lyon! Gray-sama would be—_

_Ashamed by my incompetence._ I felt like crying as I recognized the truth of that thought. He only saw me as a nuisance.

Resolving to stay focused on this battle until the enemy was defeated, I got to my feet. Lyon rushed to help me up, taking my elbow to steady me.

"Well, as cute as this little development is, I'm afraid I'm going to have to kill you both now." The irritated voice drew my gaze to Aprindere, who was standing in the same spot he'd been in before. But this time, he had his hand locked around Chelia's windpipe, her struggles growing weaker as her oxygen supply was cut off.

"Let her go!" Eve shouted, sending a flurry of snow at the suited man. Aprindere destroyed the pillars of a stall on his other side, causing it to fall across his path and block the blizzard. The pink-haired girl ceased her struggles as she went limp in his grasp.

"Chelia!" Lyon and I shouted at the same time. He raced towards his guildmate, sending two snow tigers after Aprindere as he went. The snow tigers exploded simultaneously in a burst of icy shards.

I cried out as several of the razor chunks sliced into Lyon, sending drops of scarlet blood spraying. He didn't even slow as he created an ice floor and continued running towards Aprindere. The explosion mage cursed as his footing slipped, causing his hold to loosen on Chelia. Lyon slammed into them, tearing Chelia away from Aprindere's grasp as he drove an ice-coated fist into the man's gut.

Aprindere growled as he staggered backwards, just barely managing to keep his footing. Once he was safely out of reach, Lyon gently set Chelia down on the ground. The Sky Godslayer was already stirring, thanks to her inbuilt healing abilities.

Using his momentary distraction as an opportunity to attack, I sent a massive wave of scalding water at Aprindere. The front half of the wave turned to corkscrewing razorblades, headed straight for him. With surprisingly quick reflexes, he jumped straight up, avoiding the worst of the attack. He hissed as a few of the higher water blades sliced through his thigh.

"Crazy bitch," he snarled, hatred twisting his handsome face into a grotesque mask. "You will pay for that one. But before I kill you, I'm going to make you watch as I torture your boyfriend there."

I was too afraid for Lyon to bother correcting Aprindere about our relationship. He smirked at me and a second later, I heard Lyon cry out in pain as he was sent flying into the air by an explosion right beneath his feet.

"Lyon!" I cried, throwing a cushion of water beneath him to slow his descent. He sank into it until he slowly touched down on solid ground again, and I allowed the water to crash to the ground. A grimace of pain twisted his features as he nodded gratefully at me. But before he had a chance to recover, he was sent flying backwards as Aprindere exploded his very magic. Lyon yelled as his magic was once again exploded.

"Stop it!" I shrieked, hurling a javelin of water at Aprindere. The mage ducked out of the way, exploding Lyon's magic again as he tried to summon it to make a snow ape.

"So, Ice Mage. Do you want me to stop?" He allowed Lyon to climb laboriously to his feet, wiping a trickle of blood from his mouth. "I promise to cease attacking you…if you recant your feelings for the water freak so that everyone can hear."

I felt my gut tighten in anticipation of those words that would spare Lyon his life. However, my eyes widened in shock as he began speaking.

"Stop calling her a freak," Lyon growled, his eyes glowing with fury. "You dare call her a freak, when you are the one who enjoys making others suffer? _You're_ the freak! The woman I see standing there is the most beautiful, kind-hearted, strong woman I know. She is beautiful because she has love in her heart, and it shines brighter than your stupid flames ever could, even if it is for another man. My very heart quivers whenever I'm near her, and as long as she is happy, then I cannot know sorrow. So I will never betray my heart and defile my lips by uttering those foul words! I will love Juvia Lockser until the day I die, and if that day be today, so be it."

I was shocked to find that my cheeks were wet with tears when he finished speaking. He stood straight and proud, his eyes determined and brave. My heart started pounding when he flashed me a small, sad smile. _What is this feeling?_ I thought breathlessly. _It's just like the one I always get around Gray-sama. Is this…love?_

Black fury shadowed Aprindere's face. "So be it. You have made your decision. And now you shall pay the price."

Several things happened at once then. Aprindere shouted and flung his arms forward at the same moment that Wendy yelled, "Natsu-san's body! It's…glowing!"

I turned to look, and saw that it was, in fact, glowing with a pulsing red light. Just before it caught fire. Wendy screamed and my hands flew to my mouth. Everyone turned to look, even Aprindere. Not an inch of Natsu's body was left untouched by flame. They had sprouted without warning, and had not started in one place and then spread, as normal fire does. They had just suddenly appeared there, covering every inch of skin, cloth and hair. Less than ten seconds after the flames had appeared, they suddenly snuffed out. And Natsu's body was gone, not a trace left.

"Ah well," Aprindere chortled. "It's a suiting end for the Fire Dragon. In fact, he resembles the state you will shortly find yourself in, Ice Mage." He turned back to Lyon, intending to finish what he'd started. By killing him. And while my feelings for Lyon might still be confusing and unclear to me, one thing was not.

I knew that no matter what, I was not going to let Aprindere succeed. I would save Lyon.

* * *

_Lucy_

I don't know why I called out to Natsu in my mind. There was no way he could hear me, and even if he could, there was no way he could get to me fast enough. I refused to believe what the mage had said about him already having been 'dealt with.' The most I could hope for was that the giant sea serpent wouldn't eat me before I could find a way back onto the cliff. Maybe I could summon Aquarius….

My hand went to my belt and wrapped around my key pouch, trying to draw some measure of comfort from its solid presence. But all I could think of was how much it was going to hurt when I hit the water. Kaarme and I were tumbling through the air, each of us trying to put the other on the bottom to use as a shield for when we would strike the water. He still had my whip, so I couldn't let go of him until I took it back. But he was determined to keep it from me. I had cracked my eyes open a little so that I could see what I was doing (because, ya know, it would be extremely awkward if I accidentally grabbed…ahem…something else…). Nothing I did worked, though. His arms were longer, so he had a greater range on me when he held it out behind his back.

The water was only fifteen feet away when something flashed in my periphery. The next second, I was slamming into something hard and warm as I was lifted upwards. My hand locked around the handle of my whip just as Kaarme rolled off whatever I had landed on. He disappeared over the edge of…a red, scaly ledge, plummeting towards the ocean below.

I gasped and sat up, looking around with wide, panicked eyes at what I was sitting on. It was big, and looked like…a dragon! With deep red scales that were warm to my touch. A scream tore from my lips as I threw myself down and grabbed onto the dragon's back, terrified that I would be thrown off. We were rapidly rising straight up, the cliff already far below.

_Lucy!_ a familiar voice shouted in my head. _Don't be afraid, Lucy! It's me, Natsu! _

I looked up at the scaly head of the dragon, shock plastered across my face. "Na…Natsu?! Are you saying that this dragon is _you?_"

A slightly self-conscious chuckle sounded in my head. _Yeah. It's a long story. Instead of telling you…let me show you what happened._

* * *

_Earlier that day, after Igneel told Natsu that he would teach him one last ability_

The giant red dragon regarded me knowingly. _Very well. However, before you go, there is something I must tell you, and one last skill I will teach you._

I reached up and rested my palm against his warm red snout. It slid around his jaw to rest against his chin as I pressed my forehead to his nose, closing my eyes.

_Natsu,_ his deep voice rumbled in my mind. _This is an ability that has been lost to the world for centuries. Once I tell you what it is, you will understand the weight of the responsibilities that come with it. For it is powerful magic, far beyond anything this world has known for many years. And with this power, you will need to realize that it is only to be used in times of real need. I will let you be the one to make the decision about what qualifies as a dire enough circumstance. My final task will be to teach it to you. _

_Your final task?_ I asked in my mind. _What do you mean, Igneel?_

_Once I impart this knowledge to you, I will be moving on to the realm of the dead. _

Panic filled me for a moment, and my eyes shot open. "Igneel…. " Mindful of the other dragons gathered around us, I closed my eyes again and returned to conversing telepathically. _But why? You've been living here all this time, right? Why can't you stay here?_

Igneel sighed. _This realm is only for those who do not interfere in the affairs of the living. By teaching you this skill, I am interfering. And so my time will come to an end here, and I shall pass into a place to which you cannot yet follow. Now, do not feel sad, my son. This is my decision to make. And I do not make it lightly. I have known this day would come for many years. For this is the only way that you can save your friends, Natsu. And after all, death isn't really the end of things, is it?_ He chuckled a little, and I felt Weisslogia and Skiadrum smiling behind me. I remembered then that they, too, were dead. Maybe that meant that I would still be able to see Igneel here, even after he passed into the realm of the dead.

_Alright. I understand. _A little sorrow crept into my voice, despite my efforts to keep it strong. _I'm ready, Igneel. _

_Good. You must be fully committed to seeing this through. And now, I will begin. This ability that I am teaching you…is the ability to literally transform yourself into a dragon. Long, long ago, the first Dragonslayers all had this ability. They took to the skies with their dragons, sprouting wings that were identical to their parent dragons'. That is because in this ancient ritual, the dragon and the Dragonslayer become one in spirit, their magics joining together. To achieve this, there are a few steps that must be completed. _

I felt Igneel taking my hand in his massive paw, but kept my eyes closed.

_Using this ceremonial knife, made from the claw of the Ancestor—the first dragon—I shall spill our blood to make room for the new blood. _

A sharp pain spread along my palm, and I felt my blood welling from the wound and dripping to the ground. I heard Igneel slicing the claw across his own palm, the scales clicking where they parted. Then a warm, scaly paw was pressed against my hand, and I felt a strange sensation, like our hands were being fused together.

_Now, produce a flame in the hand that is joined with mine. _I complied, feeling the old, familiar heat flare up around my hand. And then a new heat was added to it, one that was different and yet just as familiar; Igneel's fire.

_One last step, now. I must say the incantation, and you must repeat after me, but using the word 'human' where I say 'dragon'. It must be said all at once. Are you ready? _

I nodded, resolving to do it right.

_Blood of the Dragon, course through the veins of the Human. Breath of the Dragon, inflate the lungs of the Human. Tears of the Dragon, flow down the cheeks of the Human. Flames of the Dragon, burn in the heart of the Human. By fire and blood I seal this rite, with the living and the dead as my witness. Be it even so. _

Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself to repeat the incantation. _Blood of the Human, course through the veins of the Dragon. Breath of the Human, inflate the lungs of the Dragon. Tears of the Human, flow down the cheeks of the Dragon. Flames of the Human, burn in the heart of the Dragon. By fire and blood I seal this rite, with the living and the dead as my witness. Be it even so._

A warm, tingling sensation swept through me, and I opened my eyes. Igneel and I were encompassed about by a wall of flame. He released my hand, and I looked down at my cut palm. The wound had completely healed, only dried blood caking the flesh to show for it. Not even a scar remained. I looked up at Igneel, feeling a fierce wind pick up around us, like we were in a giant vortex. In his black eyes, I saw my own reflection peering back at me. But it wasn't quite the same. Red scales had surfaced across my skin, and I was…growing. Soon, I was on the same level as Igneel, and the ring of fire stretched to accommodate my rapidly elongating body. When I looked back, a scarlet tail lashed back and forth.

I tried to say something to Igneel, but my vocal chords had also changed, and all that came out was a bone-rattling roar. A grin stretched my dragon snout as my transformation was completed. Opening a telepathic channel with Igneel, I laughed. _Igneel! I look just like you!_

I could feel him smiling as he watched me. I felt like a small child again. As soon as the fire disappeared, I galloped off across the field. The dragons parted for me as I passed, and I laughed at the giddy feeling that came over me. _I'm a dragon!_ _Wait 'til the others see me like this…they're gonna shit a brick! _

As I unfolded my massive new wings, I luxuriated in the feeling of sinew and bones cracking and stretching. Catching an air current beneath the leathery undersides of my wings, I took to the air. I roared my pleasure to the sky, and then Igneel was there at my side, roaring with me. I wanted to capture this moment forever. Our first—and last—time flying side by side.

_Are you ready to return?_ Igneel asked.

Though part of me wanted to deny it, I knew that I couldn't. My friends needed me. And I couldn't let them down. I wouldn't. So I nodded, even though my heart was breaking.

_Your body in the living world will disappear, returning to the elements. This is your new body. A dragon, once sleeping, has awoken within you. You will be able to return to your human form at any time, but now you have the ability to unlock your dragon form at will. The blood of a dragon flows through your veins. The fire of a dragon burns in your heart. Now, go to your friends. We will all fly with you one last time. _

One by one, the other dragons all spread their wings and rose into the air. Soon, they were all flanking me as we flew through the skies. I was one with them, and they were one with me. Though I felt the tug on my body that signified the end of my time here, I mustered up one last roar. It was echoed by all the other dragons, and together, we beat our wings and soared through the sky.

_Think of the location you wish to appear in,_ Igneel's voice said in my head. It sounded fainter than it had before.

_Good bye, Igneel. Thank you for everything. I promise I will do you proud. _Hot tears leaked from my eyes and slid down my scaly cheeks. Tears that reflected the ones sliding down Igneel's.

_Farewell, Natsu. You have already done me proud…my son. _

As my connection to this realm grew weaker, and I felt myself slipping back into the realm of the living, I turned to look at all the other dragons. They were spread out through the air, hundreds of wings beating simultaneously. I was part of that now. Even though I would be parting ways, something told me that this wasn't the end. I would fly with the dragons again.

_I will see you again…Father._

* * *

_Lucy, present time_

Tears streamed down my cheeks as the last of the vision faded from my mind. Their reunion was beautiful, and bittersweet. But I believed that Natsu would see Igneel again. And maybe one day, I would meet him, too.

"I'm glad you came back, Natsu," I whispered, hugging him and pressing my damp cheek to his warm, scaly back. I didn't know if he could hear me, but he gave a roar of elation as he turned around and dove back down towards the cliff. I clung on as tightly as I could, using my knees to grip his back, as well. As we rapidly approached, I saw that the mage was standing on the head of his sea monster, his pale blue eyes glaring up at us.

The black dragon on the cliff was battling Yukino and the celestial spirits. They were all streaked with blood and their clothes were torn and scorched. As I watched, I saw it turn to give us a savage grin before shooting a black ball of flames at Loki. The leader of the Zodiac managed to dodge most of it, but a little corner of his pants caught fire, the black flames leaping across his body like lightning. He yelled in pain as he fell to his knees, clutching his head. It looked like he was being electrocuted. But then he fell over, not moving. He was somehow paralyzed. Fear prickled my stomach. That fire had the ability to paralyze if it touched you, and it moved like lightning. Clearly, the others on the cliff were out of their league.

"Natsu," I shouted over the rushing wind. "Drop me on the sea serpent. You go help the others take down that black dragon. I'll take care of Kaarme and this snake."

_Lucy!_ his alarmed voice shouted in my mind. _Are you sure about that? _He turned his head to glance quickly at me over his shoulder.

I wasn't sure at all. "I'm sure."

_Alright._ His voice sounded strained, but he veered towards the leviathan rising out of the water. _I'm going to trust you. But you're not allowed to lose! Do you hear me? And if it looks like you're about to…be killed, then I promise you, I'll be right there._

I smiled at his words. Yep, it was still Natsu, alright. "Alright. Now go on. They need you up there." I slapped him affectionately, and felt his rumbling snort of skepticism through his back.

As we neared the mage and his spirit, Natsu twisted in the air so that I was sent flying off his back, headed straight for the mage. The strange thing was, as I sailed through the air like a torpedo, I wasn't afraid of the outcome. They might have a dragon of their own, but so did we now. _We have Natsu…and he's worth a hundred of Kaarme's spirit dragons._

And so I tightened my grip on my celestial whip and prepared to enter the battle of my life.

* * *

**So, I know that I'm taking a little creative license here with the whole Juvia thing (in case you hadn't figured it out by now, this is going to be a Lyvia fic), but I had to find some way to make her feelings shift. :P So this is what you're stuck with. **

**Aaaanyways, please favorite, follow and leave a review! :D Thank you for reading this chapter! **


	12. Chapter 12 - The Spirit King

A/N: Hey guys! I am so sorry it's taken me so long to upload! T.T I've been super busy, and super distracted, and super uninspired. x( I apologize to everyone who's been waiting for this chapter! Please forgive me! Anyways, since so many of you are apparently wondering when the heck Jellal and Erza will come back, I suppose I will tell you that they will be back in the next chapter. :P No more complaining! Well, fine, complaints are allowed, as long as they're friendly. -.-

Oh, and also, if you're interested in seeing some drawings I've made of the Death Strike members, you can go to my profile and scroll down to the bottom to find the link to my deviantart account that I've placed there. :)

Thanks to **FoxOnPie**, **GingerificFabulousTime**, **fairyofthelake**, **Lightmoon54**, **Shonnyterra** and **severedserenity** for reviewing on Chapter 11! :D And thanks to **Syckess** for following! I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, and please look forward to the next! :D

* * *

Chapter Twelve – The Spirit King

_Lucy_

In a move that even I was impressed with, I lashed my whip out and wrapped it around the sea serpent's thick neck. I used that to guide my flying momentum towards Kaarme, who was still crouched on its head as his eyes narrowed at me. The leviathan reared back and flared its head fins as it sprayed a powerful jet of water at me. Crying out, I barely managed to swerve in the air and avoid the deadly blast. Following my new momentum, I swung y body around in an arc and came at them from behind. In the split second before I collided with him, the Summoner whipped around, a snarl on his face. I barreled into him, and we rolled a few feet on the creature's massive head.

I raised myself to my hands and knees, spying Kaarme getting to his feet a few feet away. His lip was dripping scarlet drops of blood as his furious gaze bored into mine. The leviathan made to toss its head in an attempt to dislodge me, but its master hissed at it and it stilled. I had him in check. If I went, he went, too, and he knew it. I couldn't resist a most un-Lucy-like smirk as I got to my feet. We circled each other, sizing each other up for any sign of weakness. My Fleuve d'étoile unwound from the serpent's neck, and I held it at the ready.

"It would appear that I have underestimated you," he sneered. "But no matter, it won't happen again. I have a good idea of your strength now, and I see great potential in you. However, as you are now, you will still be crushed by my power."

He lunged at me and kicked my wrist before I had a chance to react. I cried out in pain as my whip was sent flying from my grasp. I spared it a brief, horrified glance as it plummeted towards the dark, churning water far below. I didn't have time to truly mourn it, though, as he continued his barrage with a wheel kick to my jaw. As his booted heel connected, sparks of pain flashed across my eyes, and a ringing echoed in my ears. I turned to face him again as I spat blood from my mouth. My breathing sawed raggedly through my crimson-stained lips as I tried to regroup for an attack. My jaw felt like it was splitting in half—it was probably broken, or at the very least majorly bruised—and judging from the way I couldn't move my swollen right wrist, it wasn't in any better condition.

"You are out of your league, Fairy Tail mage. You can feel it, can't you? Your death is imminent."

My left hand darted to my key pouch and grasped Aquarius's key between two fingers and Taurus's key between two others. Having four gates open at once would rapidly deplete my energy, so I was hoping that this would work the first time.

"Gate of the Giant Bull, I open thee! Taurus!"

"Mooooo! I will defeat anyone who seeks to harm my Nice Body!" The perverted zodiac spirit turned his heart-eyed face to the summoner in sudden anger. Kaarme crossed his arms over his chest, an unimpressed expression on his face.

"You summon a perverted cow to defeat me?" he deadpanned, quirking an eyebrow at me in disbelief. "I'm disappointed."

"Taurus, get him!"

"My Nice Body says to defeat you, so I shall!" Snorting through his nostrils, he charged the man with his axe raised.

Using the attack as a distraction, I turned away and took a deep breath. Extending Aquarius's key over the ocean far below, I summoned the last of my energy. "Gate of the Water-bearer, I open thee! Aquarius!"

This was a skill I had recently learned, but it sucked up my magic at a faster rate. As the thick jet of water spiraled up towards me, I collapsed to my knees. Just when I thought I couldn't hold on any longer, the water reached my key and wrapped around it, almost like a caress. A flash of golden light heralded the arrival of the stubborn water spirit. The water was encasing her blue mermaid tail as she hovered above us.

"Now _that's_ the way to summon me, girl," Aquarius said with a wink. She turned a vicious grin on Kaarme, who was regarding her with cold, calculating eyes. Taurus attempted to land a blow on the man with his axe, but Kaarme nimbly dodged and aimed a powerful kick at Taurus's…manhood.

With a pained cry, the spirit stumbled to his knees, clasping his injured parts as he moaned in agony. "Lucy-san…I'm sorry!"

Weakly, I nodded and watched as he returned to the Spirit World.

"Pitiful." Kaarme examined his black-painted nails with boredom, and I felt a mixture of hatred and despair.

"Let's see how you like this!" Just before she raised her arms to send a blast of water at Kaarme, she tossed something to me. It rolled to my knees, and I stared down at the familiar brown tube in disbelief. "Thought you might need this."

The handle of my Fleuve d'étoiles glistened with water droplets as I ran my shaky fingers over its smooth surface. I lifted my eyes to thank my surprisingly thoughtful spirit, but saw that she'd already launched an attack on Kaarme. I smiled to myself, not exactly hopeful, but less distraught than I'd been a moment before.

My gaze wandered to the battle on the cliff. Natsu and the black dragon were battling in the air, tails thrashing angrily as each tried to overpower the other. Black and red flames danced across the sky as the two dragons fought. Down on the cliff, the others were standing in weary tension, alert for an opportunity to help. My spirits looked over at me in fear, searching for a way over to assist with my battle. I saw that it was useless, though, and did a forced gate closure to conserve more of my strength. Loki started to angrily shout something to me, but was cut off when I sent him back to the Spirit World. I half expected him to traverse the barrier between the two worlds on his own and reappear at my side, but I remained alone as I knelt on the serpent's head, watching as the battles unfolded. I didn't know whether to be relieved that he's stayed out of this fight, or depressed that he hadn't come to help me.

I sagged in exhaustion, wondering if I could keep this up. Yukino was lying on the cliff, her face taught and expressionless as she pressed her hands into the gaping wound on her stomach. Pisces and Libra were gathered around her, trying to help slow the flow of blood seeping into the rocky ground around her. But they were starting to flicker as Yukino's hold on them grew weaker. I was impressed that she'd managed to keep them here as long as she had. But slowly, after a few more minutes, they faded completely from this world as they returned to their own. Yukino was left completely alone, more vulnerable than ever.

My fear for Yukino fueled my determination. _I will succeed. I will not give up! Because my friends need me!_

Nodding my conviction, I pulled myself laboriously to my feet, only to stagger and nearly lose my footing as the leviathan bucked beneath me. Its long neck thrashed to the right, tearing through the pillar of water that was holding Aquarius up. The spirit shrieked her rage as she began to fall. Straight towards the leviathan's opening maw. As its head tipped back in preparation to catch her, I started to fall backwards off the creature's scaly head. I screamed, flailing my arms and legs to try to catch a grip before falling any further. To my immense relief, my hands found the pinkish fins on the side of the thing's head. I gripped them for all I was worth, dangling precariously over the dark, dangerous waters.

"Aquarius, forced gate closure!" I gasped out, my lungs and arms burning. Aquarius disappeared in a flash of light just as the leviathan snapped its jaws shut where she'd been just a moment before. My right wrist was screaming in pain, and I knew that this was going to require some serious magic to fix it after all the stress I was about to put on it.

With a roar of fury, the colossal sea spirit lashed its head around toward the cliff, and then dived toward the water. My eyes widened in terror as I snapped my head around, looking for the other mage. He was nowhere to be seen. _I'm screwed,_ I thought, sucking in a deep breath just before I was plunged into the water.

My first thought was of how cold it was. The dark water swirled around my head, blinding me with its black embrace and paralyzing me with its icy fingers. My lungs contracted painfully, the bitter cold tearing my breath from my lungs and stealing the last of my strength. I could see nothing in the dark, tumultuous waters. I could feel nothing but mind-numbing cold.

_Is this how it feels to die?_

Just when I thought I was really about to die, the serpent broke the surface again, shooting out of the water with such force that I slid down its neck a few feet before I was able to catch ahold of the fin again. My breath was coming in short, ragged gasps and my head was spinning from lack of oxygen. My trembling arms were about to give out, but there was nothing I could do. The wind that before had been nothing more than a background nuisance was now tearing into me and sucking what little body heat I retained.

But I knew I couldn't give up yet. Not until Kaarme was dead, or I was dead.

The leviathan leveled out, and I was once again lying on my stomach on its head. My muscles were frozen in their clenched position, though, so I was unable to wrench myself away from the fin I clung to so desperately. It was just as well, though, because in the next instant, the serpent had whipped its head around again and launched itself forward. This time, though, I saw that its target was the cliff. The cliff upon which Yukino lay injured, incapable of moving out of the way.

I screamed as I was rushed towards the cliff, desperately tugging on the fin to try to stop it before we collided. My weak efforts were useless, though, and I could do nothing my close my eyes and turn my head away as the massive beast crashed into the wall with a terrible rumble of breaking rocks.

A falling chunk of rock struck my head, and I felt myself reeling from the blow as I fell through the air. My vision went black, and I lost awareness of the world around me. Until the shock of my body hitting the icy water forced me back into wakefulness.

I desperately clawed my way back to the surface of the water, determined to stay afloat. Several meters away, I saw a familiar silver head bobbing in the frothy waves. With blood and salt water dripping down my face, I started swimming towards Yukino, desperate to reach her before she drowned. I heard her panicked gasps and cries as she bobbed beneath the surface and then resurfaced a moment later.

"Yukino!" I yelled, coughing and wheezing as I fought my way through the turbulent waves. My injured wrist trailed limply through the water as I pushed my arms through the waves, cutting a path to the other girl. After a final exhausting push, I was within arms' reach of her. I saw her wild eyes dart to mine as she opened her mouth to cry out in fear, but then she was sucked under the dark surface again.

I quickly sucked in a breath of salty air before diving under to search for Yukino. My hands waved around frantically in front of me, in the approximate area she'd disappeared in. Just when I was about to struggle back to the surface for a breath, my left hand connected with something soft but firm. Quickly, I wrapped my arms around her body and tugged her up to the surface. We broke the waves with a gasp, expelling water from our abused lungs. Yukino clung to me in fear, her silver hair plastered to her pale face. Her eyelids flickered a few times, her eyes shrouded by a cloud of pain. I remembered her abdominal wound, and my worry increased.

"Yukino, hang in there! I'll find a way to get us out of here." She nodded mutely, half delirious from pain and cold. She was shaking so badly it was hard to keep a hold on her.

I grit my teeth as I transferred her weight to my right arm, using my left hand to reach for my key pouch. My fingers found Aquarius's key, and I weakly pulled it out, praying that I had enough energy left for one last summoning.

"Gate of the Water-bearer, I open thee! Aquarius!" I thrust the key point-down into the water, feeling the last of my magic seep out of me into the golden key. My breath was trapped in my lungs while I waited to see if Aquarius would come. One second passed, and then another. But finally, just when I was about to give up hope, I saw the familiar fissure of light open up and Aquarius appeared before us.

"Aquarius," I gasped, using every last ounce of my strength to keep Yukino and myself afloat. "Please…help us. Get us out of the water."

Aquarius nodded gruffly, floating back a few feet to aim her pot at us. The next moment, we were being carried upward by a fountain of water until we were on the same level as the cliff. I didn't release my breath until we were both deposited safely on the cliff amidst the loose rubble from the collapse of about five meters of rock that was previously on the edge.

I felt the exact moment Aquarius returned to the Spirit World, for it was the same moment that I ran out of magic completely. But I sighed in relief, knowing that at least we were no longer in the water. Even though we were both shaking so hard we looked like we were having seizures. Then Yukino passed out, one hand clutching her stomach wound as her features slackened.

I slowly, gingerly sat up. My wrist was swollen to almost twice its normal size, my jaw was bruising badly, and I had a gash across my forehead that was still oozing blood. When I looked up, I saw the two dragons battling a little way in the distance. They were rolling and wrestling through the air, each trying to kill the other. The black dragon sank its fangs into Natsu's shoulder, and I heard him bellow in pain as his red scales were dyed even redder. He retaliated with a vicious swipe to the eyes, and the black dragon shrieked in agony as it reeled backwards and thrashed its head around, trying to get rid of the pain in its eyes. Taking advantage of the other dragon's momentary distraction, Natsu surged forward and blasted it with a massive jet of flames. Lightning flickered erratically around the edges.

I couldn't keep watching to see the outcome, though. Yukino needed help, now. I saw that the blood was still seeping through her shirt, though the flow had slowed. Gingerly, I peeled away the ragged, bloodied fabric, a pained breath hissing through my teeth as I saw the wounds. It looked as though the dragon had gutted her with its powerful claws, gouging deep parallel lines across her stomach. I couldn't see much of the wounds themselves, though, as her abdomen was a mess of blood and other unidentifiable chunks of flesh. My stomach rolled, and I had to close my eyes for a moment and take deep breaths to keep from hurling. But with each breath, I inhaled the scent of death. A tear leaked down my face as I opened my eyes and looked down at Yukino's prone form again. I reached out and pressed the back of my hand to her forehead. Her skin was cold and clammy, though I told myself it was just from the water. We would both pull through this. We had to.

As gently as I could with shaking hands, I tore a strip off my own tank top and wrapped it around Yukino's stomach. The pale pink fabric immediately soaked up the blood, staining it a gruesome shade of crimson. My lungs contracted as I fought to keep the tears down. It would do none of us any good to fall into hysterics now.

My head shot up to where Natsu was battling in the air. If he managed to defeat this dragon right now, he might be able to take Yukino and carry her away to go find Wendy or Chelia! They would be able to heal Yukino! I just had to find a way to free up Natsu so he could take her.

I staggered to my feet, my mind focused solely on finding a way to quickly defeat the black dragon. And so, I didn't notice until it was too late that Kaarme had suck up behind me somehow, appearing out of nowhere. I gasped in pain as he kneed me in the back and then trapped my throat in the crook of his arm before I could fall forward.

"You thought you had escaped me, did you?" His voice was eerily calm as he choked the life out of me. Fuzzy black spots spread across my vision as I desperately tried to kick him or claw at him, anything to get him to relinquish his hold on me. "Well, I'm afraid there's no chance of that now. I had originally thought that you would make a nice prisoner, but now I see that you're too much trouble; I'm going to have to eliminate you now. But don't worry; I'll make sure that it's less painful than being a living sacrifice would've been. After all, that's the fate that awaits your friends."

I could hear the satisfaction dripping from his poisonous words. But my struggles were growing weaker, so there was nothing I could do. I hadn't even realized that he'd been walking me slowly forward until my toes curled around the edge of the cliff, meeting only thin air. Dimly, I saw the serpentine shape of his pet coiling down below. So he didn't mean to choke me to death then. He was going to feed me to his spirit snake. I closed my eyes, not wanting the last thing I saw to be the razor-sharp rows of teeth before they snapped around my body.

But suddenly, I heard a dull _thwunk_ and Kaarme's hold on me slackened. He cried out in pain and staggered away from me. I sank to my knees, gasping for breath as I tried to massage my bruised neck. I looked around, trying to spy the cause of my timely rescue. My heart leapt into my throat as I saw Sagittarius standing proudly about fifty yards away. His bow string was still quivering from the shot he'd fired. The arrow had lodged itself square in the center of Kaarme's back.

My eyes widened as I saw that Sagittarius wasn't alone. Virgo was kneeling beside Yukino, cradling her head in her lap with a grim expression on her pretty face. Cancer was standing beside them, his scissors gleaming in the fading light of day. But beyond them, I saw a whole contingent of other spirits, some of whom I didn't even recognize. They were all standing tall, determined looks on their faces. My breath caught in my throat as I gazed at all of them in disbelief. How were they all here? _Why_ were they all here?

Kaarme's enraged scream snapped my attention back to the mage, who was clutching his head as he staggered over to the edge of the crumbling cliff. Confused, I scooted away from the edge in case he was going insane and intended to shove me off the cliff. However, I realized that the cause of his distress was something in the water. And so I crawled slowly back towards the edge to peer warily down into the ocean.

My jaw dropped. The giant sea serpent was writhing in the water, seemingly in pain. But it was something else that really caught my eye. Looming above the waves was a massive man with a giant mustache in the shape of two crosses. The Spirit King.

The waves whipped furiously across the surface of the ocean, but were mysteriously smooth as glass beneath the king. The water around the serpent began to roil and froth, boiling the creature alive. _Just what is going on here?!_

"Why?!" Kaarme screamed, glaring feverishly at the Spirit King. "You can't come to this world! Why are you here?"

The massive man turned his stormy eyes to the mage standing on the edge of the cliff. "You have broken the rules, young mage." His deep voice was ominously flat as he regarded the mage as one might an insect tacked to a board. "You have summoned the Banished Ones, and then used them to attempt to kill their brother spirits. This I cannot allow."

I gaped at the giant spirit. So he was…killing the spirits that Kaarme had summoned? Just because the mage had been malicious enough to summon them to use them to destroy us?

"Wait!"

The Spirit King turned his fearsome eyes on me, but I wasn't afraid. We'd had too many interactions for me to fear him now, though there was definitely more than a pinch of anxiety. "What is it, Lucy Heartfilia?"

I glanced over at all the assembled spirits. They were regarding me with curious expressions, though some still retained the anger over Kaarme's doings. "Why must you kill the spirits?" Loki, standing over amidst the other spirits, looked at me like I had grown a second head. Or maybe a fifth. "I mean, can't you just send them back to wherever they were banished to? After all, it was Kaarme who summoned them."

The king of the spirits regarded me with an expressionless face that was somehow more intimidating than the angry one he'd been wearing just a moment before. "You would have me spare the ones responsible for trying to kill your friends? For trying to kill you?" His voice held no anger or condemnation, merely a touch of genuine curiosity.

I sucked in a deep breath and then nodded. "It's only in their nature."

After several tense beats of silence—even the two dragons had ceased their fighting—the king spoke again. "You are correct, Miss Heartfilia. As expected of one who understands the spirits so well." He snorted. "Very well. I shall send them back to the abyss, and deal with this mage who dared to summon them from their prison." I sagged in relief. "However, there is one last thing I must impart to you before I return to the spirit world."

My eyes widened in surprise. I watched as the two leviathans suddenly vanished in a flash of light. If it weren't for all the damage they'd caused, I would've believed that it had all been my imagination. Somberly, I turned to check Yukino's condition. Virgo had somehow managed to change her clothes, and I recognized them as Spirit clothing. The pink-haired spirit nodded to me before taking Yukino back to the spirit world with her, presumably for medical treatment. One by one, the other spirits started to return to their world, lighting up the cliff with their flashes of light as they transitioned between worlds. Kaarme was too stunned to do more than just stand there mutely, his fists clenched at his sides as he glared murderously at the king.

The Spirit King drifted closer to me, until he stood right before the cliff edge, less than an arm's length away from me. His giant hand came up, clenched in a fist as he extended it to me. Turning it over, he unfolded his fingers to reveal a small, glistening diamond key. A delicate silver chain was looped through the head of the key, pooled around it in his palm. I looked from the key to the king's face, my brows knitting in confusion.

"This key has not been used in millennia. But now it is for you to wield. Use it wisely, only in times of absolute need. For it is my most precious key."

I reached a quivering hand up to take the key from his palm. No sooner had I taken it in my fingers than he withdrew and seized Kaarme around the waist. The mage began to struggle, shouting angrily. However, his struggles were useless, and I watched in exhausted detachment as he was taken—screaming—into the Spirit World with the King of the Spirits.

The sinking sun cast an orange glow over the ocean, dying it a fiery shade of red. Too weary to stand, I remained kneeling on the rocky ground. A slight breeze drifted up from the waves below, and I thought dazedly that it was almost as though nothing had happened. The scenery was so beautiful and peaceful, it was hard to reconcile this image with the one of the giant serpent baring its bloodied fangs at me.

_Lucy._ I looked up, my eyes finding Natsu spiraling gently down to land on the cliff behind me. My eyes quickly roved over his muscular dragon body for any injuries. Aside from a few claw marks in his arms and the teeth marks in his shoulder, he looked fine. My eyes closed briefly in relief.

"Natsu. Are you okay?"

He snorted, puffs of smoke curling up from his nostrils. _I'm fine. But you don't look too good. We need to find Wendy and have her heal you. _Then, his voice changed tone. _Oh. They still think I'm dead._

I looked down in guilt. If I hadn't been so weak, Natsu wouldn't have needed to come save me. The others wouldn't be worrying even now. "Don't worry," I said, forcing my voice to be strong and cheerful. "We'll go find them now, and I'm sure the look on their faces will be worth it." I could feel him smiling in my mind, his dark eyes warming as he looked down at me.

_You're right. Here, climb on._ He lowered himself to the ground, waiting for me to crawl to my feet and stagger over to him. Once I was settled on his back between his shoulder blades, he pushed off of the cliff, causing a few more chunks of rock to fall away. We flew over the cliff, and I saw the lights of the city up ahead. Snuggling down against his warm back, I laid my cheek against his hard scales. The wind whipping past us left me shivering, still wet from the plunge in the ocean. But where my body pressed against Natsu's back, the cold couldn't touch me.

Slowly, I brought my hand up in front of my face, gazing sideways at it as I slowly peeled my fingers away from the glistening key. It was smaller than any of my other keys, but its diamond surface reflected the light in a thousand different directions, giving it the illusion of glowing. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. Bringing it a little closer to my face, I studied it closely, curious about its identity. Whose key was this? It must be powerful, judging from the king's words. I could feel the power radiating from it, even in my magicless state.

Suddenly, my gaze snagged on a little symbol carved into the main shaft of the key. There, right beneath the circular head of the key, was the etched symbol of a crown. A crown with two crosses intersecting behind it.

The king had given me his own key.

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**A/N: Thank you to everyone who reads this story! It seriously makes my day when I wake up to find new emails telling me that I have new reviews! :D So if you have *cough cough a heart cough* extra time on your hands, please leave a review! ;D And if you're still following along with this story but haven't Followed it, I invite you to do so! Thank you for the continued support, everyone! :D  
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	13. Chapter 13 - Rendezvous Part 1

A/N: Well, here it is. The much-awaited return of Jerza! Thanks to everyone who has patiently (without complaint!) waited for this chapter! :D This one's to you. :3 Thanks for this week go to **Shonnyterra**, **FoxOnPie**, **Gopherplant**, **GingerificFabulousTime**, **Lightmoon54**, and **severedserenity** for reviewing on Chapter 11! Extra special thanks to **Gopherplant** for also following and favoriting, as well as **chelsealovesya1995 **and **Shinethedown** for favoriting, and **ScarletxBlue**, **Mai96**, **carlygrl15** and **kaykay692** for following! And of course, thanks to **mew96** for agreeing to read yet another of my crazy stories. :) Your support means the world to me!

Sorry it's taken me so long to upload this chapter! I've been busy with school and my original stories. I also wrote a one-shot about Gray and Lyon, so if you appreciate yaoi, go check it out!

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Chapter Thirteen – Rendezvous (no, this is not code for something else!) Part 1

_Erza _

"Jellal!" My scream echoed through the collapsing building. Tears streamed from my wild eyes, blurring my surroundings. I used all my strength to lift the blue-haired man off of me and wiggle my way out. A cry escaped my lips as I saw that the back of his coat was on fire. Immediately, I began patting it out. A large hole had been scorched in his clothes, but at least his skin was unharmed.

_Crash!_ More of the building fell around us, and I swiftly pulled his arm over my shoulders. I hefted his unconscious weight up as I rose to my feet. It took all my strength and willpower, but I was able to regain some semblance of composure as I looked around for some way out of the burning building. Through the blaze, I was able to see a sliver of dusky light spilling in through a hole in one wall. I grit my teeth as I pushed my way through the wreckage around us, kicking over fallen beams and sidestepping raining chunks of flaming wood. Just when I was about to reach the gap in the wall that would lead us to freedom, I heard a groaning from overhead, moments before a giant chunk of the ceiling crashed down in front of me. I coughed and staggered backwards, shielding my eyes from the flying sparks and flames. Squinting through the inferno, I realized that the way was blocked. We were trapped in the burning building.

More coughing wracked my body, nearly causing me to lose my hold on Jellal. I grimaced and realized that I was still in my usual armor. I hadn't thought to don my Flame Empress armor because it couldn't manipulate flames, but now I realized my folly. It might not manipulate the flames, but at least it would help defend against them. I quickly requipped into the armor, my skin no longer quite as feverish as before.

However, the problem of finding a way out was no closer to being solved. I spun and looked around for another opening, but the smoke and flames were now too thick for me to even make anything out. Still unconscious, Jellal coughed weakly. The sound brought fear to my heart. I couldn't let Jellal suffocate in this smoke.

My vigor renewed, I spun again and drew my sword. This would be difficult with Jellal leaning the full force of his unconscious weight on me, but I had no other choices available. With speed and precision, I lashed out and cut clean through one of the supporting beams in the middle of the room. With a groan, the beam began to lean, then fall. It was headed straight towards us.

"Time to move," I muttered, leaping to the side. With a loud crash, the beam struck the wall behind me. After another moment, it pushed through the wall, tearing a path through to the evening air. I gripped Jellal tighter and leapt onto the beam, running along its length with the fire nipping at my heels. Taking a final leap off the end, we cleared the burning building and landed on the cobblestones outside. The smoke billowed out after us, obscuring the alley we found ourselves in. I hauled Jellal along with me as I fled the alley, seeking to put as much distance between us and the fire as possible. I hoped none of the civilians found themselves caught up in the inferno, though I didn't spare much thought for them as they weren't my priority.

At last, I staggered into a side street several blocks away. Gulping deep breaths of clean, fresh air into my lungs, I eased Jellal down to the ground and knelt at his side. The evening was eerily silent, with the exception of the distant roar of the flames. Even from this distance, I could see the dark clouds of smoke billowing up above the roofs. If we'd stayed in there even ten seconds longer, I had no doubt that we'd be nothing but a pile of ashes by now. Deciding that we were safe from the flames for the time being, I requipped into my normal armor. Then I turned my attention to the unconscious man lying before me.

"Jellal," I said firmly, shaking him insistently. "Jellal, you have to wake up now." I pulled his head into my lap and cradled it in my arms, bringing my ear down to his slightly parted lips. After ten seconds, I still hadn't felt a stirring of air against my skin. Growing increasingly panicked, I pressed my fingers into his neck, feeling for a pulse. It was there, but faint as a butterfly's wing. A sigh that was part relief and part fear escaped my lips. I gently laid him back down on the ground, where he continued to lay too still. Without thinking past the need to save him, I lowered my face to his, tilting his chin up. My lips closed over his, and I exhaled my air into his smoke-clogged lungs. Once, twice. Then I looked over at his chest to see if it was rising and falling yet. No movement. Tears threatening at the backs of my smoke-reddened eyes, I leaned over him, placing my overlapping palms on his chest. Then I shoved the heels of my palms deep into his chest, over and over. I brought my head down to his chest and listened for his heartbeat. It seemed stronger now, but not much. I resealed my lips over his, blowing once again into his mouth. I could taste the smoke on his lips every time I repeated the resuscitation breaths, and my fear kept escalating. At last, on the fourth pass, I saw his chest begin to rise.

I released a breath, dizzy with relief, and bowed my head as I leaned forward on my hands. Jellal's hand closest to me twitched, and a tear glided silently down my cheek. When his golden eyes flickered open, they focused immediately on mine.

"Erza," he rasped, his deep voice hoarse with smoke, "are you okay?" He made to sit up, and a harsh coughing fit overcame him.

"Jellal," I exclaimed fearfully, placing one hand on his chest to ease him back down. His resistance was frighteningly weak, and I wanted nothing more than to pull him into my arms and protect him. Once his coughing subsided, he slowly reached his hand up to feel the back of his head. When it came away sticky and red, I thought I would lose it. A sob tore from me as I threw myself at him, my arms wrapping around his neck. I buried my face in his neck, the scent of smoke clogging my nostrils. But I didn't care.

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, hugging me to his chest. "Erza," he began again, his voice clearer. "What happened?"

"I brought you out of the building after you were knocked out," I whispered against his skin. "We should be safe here for a while."

"And you're unharmed?" he asked anxiously. A choked half-sob, half-laugh burbled up from my throat. What an incredible, loving, stupid man. He never thought of himself, and even after he was knocked out, nearly suffocated in a burning building, and possibly had a concussion, he was still worried about me.

Not caring about anything else but him at the moment, I gently cupped his face in my hands and covered his mouth with my own. I felt him tense in surprise for a second, but then he relaxed and wrapped his arms tighter around me. With an almost desperate air, I kissed him deeply, luxuriating in the feel of his smooth lips on mine. When I feared that after having so much smoke in his lungs he wouldn't be able to breathe, I trailed my lips to the hollow beneath his ear and began tracing a line down his jaw. I felt him shudder beneath me, one hand moving to cup the back of my head. His fingers threaded through my hair, and tightened when I flicked my tongue out to tickle the soft spot on his neck just below the corner of his jaw. I continued my way leisurely down the side of his neck, placing little kisses and nipping the skin gently with my teeth. A soft moan escaped him, and I pulled away just enough so I could gaze into his eyes. They were dark with desire, and I could feel my own responding. I brought my lips down to his again, placing a soft kiss at the corner of his mouth.

"Erza," he murmured against my lips. My chest was pressed against his, so I felt his words vibrating through my body as he spoke. "It's always been you, only you." His voice was raw with emotion, making something light and tingly bubble up in my chest.

My arms wound around his head, bringing his mouth more firmly against my own. "I know." No words were strong enough to express the depth of my feelings for this man, so I instead determined to show him my feelings. I tilted my head and deepened the kiss, my tongue sweeping in to twine with his. My whole body was on fire, though instead of pain, these flames brought pleasure. I knew that there were more pressing matters that we should be dealing with, but instead, all I wanted to do was stay with Jellal like this, forever lost in the taste and feel and smell of him. I knew that if I lived to be a thousand years old, I would never tire of this, of _him_.

"Lies," a voice whispered in my mind. "All lies. Your feelings for him, his feelings for you…all lies. There is no hope for you." I jerked up suddenly, on the alert. My heart was still pounding, though no longer from passion. Now, I was filled with tension and a flicker of fear.

"Who's there?" I demanded, looking around. All I could see was the darkening street, empty vending stalls and silent homes. No sign of life anywhere.

"You heard that too?" Jellal asked, suddenly wary. He sat up, and I stood to help him to his feet. I nodded, and together we scanned the street for any sign of a person. When, after several minutes of silence, we still didn't find any sign of another living person, I hesitantly turned back to Jellal.

"We should probably go try to find the others." Even if we had no evidence that the voice had been real, I still felt wary and creeped out.

Jellal nodded, and together we made our way in the direction we'd last seen the others.

A scream was the first thing that alerted me to the presence of other people. Immediately, I tensed and went into high alert. "Lisanna!"

We ran to the next intersection and turned the corner. I careened to a halt when I saw the sight before me. Gajeel was kneeling on the ground, Levy's unconscious form cradled gently in his muscular arms. Not far from them, Lisanna stood gazing straight up at the sky, her hands pressed to her mouth in terror. All around her, the others also stood rooted to their spots, staring up at the sky. Except for Jura and Ichiya, both of whom were kneeling next to Orga, who was covered with blood all across his abdomen.

Jellal placed his hand on my shoulder, and I turned to look at him. His mouth was pulled down in a grim line, and he nodded his head towards the sky above the group. Or rather, at something in the sky, as I saw when I followed the direction in which he was looking. There, fighting it out in the air above the others, were Mira, Fried and another man I didn't recognize. He had a long white coat and blond hair. Even from here, I could feel the malice seeping from him like a vapor of poison. Jellal and I exchanged a look, and then we took off down the street towards the others.

"Jura! What's the situation?" I cried as we approached. The wizard saint looked up at us in surprise. That he had not already heard us approaching did not bode well.

"Erza, Jellal! Are you alright? Things are not looking good here." His usually collected voice was strained.

"I have done all I can for Orga-san with my healing parfum," Ichiya contributed in an uncharacteristically grim voice. "Now all we can do is wait to see if we got to the wound in time for him to be saved."

I gazed down at the Sabertooth lying face-up on the ground. His face was pale and chalky, sweat dampening his brow. His breathing was labored, sounding wet and ragged. Even as I watched, blood bubbled up from his gaping mouth and spilled down the side of his face. It sizzled and burned across his skin as it traveled. And then, with a final rasping breath, Orga was still. Forever.

"What did this?" I whispered hoarsely, staring down at the carnage in horror. The hole in his stomach was neat and clean, but all around it, the flesh had bubbled and blackened, as if it had been burned. Or poisoned.

"The sword that man wields is demonic," Jura said somberly, bowing his head and crossing himself before turning away from the dead man. "Our powers can do nothing for its effects."

I nodded grimly and looked up at the aerial battle. I didn't see any cuts on Mira or Fried, but if they did get cut with that demonic blade….

"What's wrong with Levy?" Jellal asked worriedly. I followed his gaze over to where Gajeel was still cradling her, his eyes blazing with fury and pain as he looked up at the blond man in the sky.

"Her magic has been stolen," Jura declared flatly. A grief settled over him, so heavy it was as though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. As if he had just lost a child.

"_What?!_" I exclaimed, whirling to look over at Levy again. She looked as though she could be sleeping. Before Jura had a chance to respond, I dashed over to Levy, crashing to the ground at her side. "Levy, can you hear me? Wake up!" Her brow was feverish, rivulets of sweat trekking down her pale face. Her usually peppy blue hair was dull and limp, a grayish pallor over her whole body. She looked like all the life had been leeched from her.

"Leave her alone," Gajeel growled, his voice raw with pain. I glanced up at him in surprise. Were those…_tears_ in his eyelashes? _Ah. That's right, they're sweet on each other._ All of a sudden, my heart began to ache for the two of them. I tried to imagine what I would do if Jellal was in Levy's position, but failed. It was just too traumatic for me to even think about.

I nodded my understanding and backed away from the pair, leaving Levy in Gajeel's hands. Now I understood why no one else was attending to the girl. I watched along with the rest of them as the battle unfolded in the air. Every instinct in my body demanded that I join in the fight, but I knew that any attempt I made might either end up distracting my guildmates or hurting them. It was maddening, being this helpless. Judging from Jellal's scowl at my side, he felt the same way.

My head snapped to the street to my left. I thought I had heard a noise. I narrowed my eyes as I saw movement in the shadows. Changing into my Heaven's Wheel Armor, I prepared to launch an attack on whoever appeared. My thoughts immediately went to the sinister voice I had heard in my head earlier.

I was just about to unleash a volley of swords into the shadows when two figures leapt from them, battle-ready. My jaw dropped when I recognized Cana, closely followed by Gildarts. "You guys, what are you doing here?" I asked, before I could think of a more eloquent question.

Cana came to a halt before me, her face grim as she took in the scene around us. "We were all knocked out from a giant explosion, but Wendy healed us and then Natsu came. Gildarts and I left to find the other groups, leaving them to handle things back there. By the looks of things, it isn't going much better here."

I shook my head sadly. "Orga's been killed, and Levy…her magic has been drained. Completely."

Cana gasped. "How is that possible? What happened?"

"I'm not sure, but I have a good idea. Jellal and I were a few blocks away, speaking with an old woman. The building exploded and caught fire, and as soon as we were out we came back here. We actually just arrived. But the woman told us that many of the people in this city have been drained of magic, permanently. They started disappearing when this dark guild showed up, demanding sacrifices for some type of ritual. I think that might be why they were draining their magic."

"So Levy's been used in some type of ritual?" Cana's eyes widened with shock and horror as she turned to look at Levy. Gajeel glared at her accusingly, hugging Levy closer to him.

"I don't think so," Jellal said, coming to stand at my side. "From the looks of it, Levy was just a victim of circumstance, whereas the others were lured in for this ritual."

Gildarts nodded his head darkly, rubbing his hand along his stubbly jaw. "Is there no way for her to regain her powers?"

I exchanged glances with Jellal. "Truthfully, I'm not sure," I said slowly. "There might be. There might not. We'll have to ask Master."

We all returned our attention to the battle unfolding above our heads, our minds full of the grave news. I determined that we would definitely defeat these bastards, and then I would find whoever was in charge of them and make them restore Levy's magic. And then I would make them pay for everything they'd done to my friends.

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_Juvia_

Pouring all my fury into my attack, I created a vortex of water that hurtled toward Aprindere. All his focus was directed towards Lyon, so he didn't see the vortex until too late. To prevent him from reacting in time, Lyon grabbed him and froze himself to the mage, so that he couldn't move his arms or head. But neither could Lyon.

I cried out as the vortex slammed into them. Immediately, the crushing weight of the water slammed into them with enough force to rip them apart. I could do nothing but watch in horror as the giant funnel of water rose into the sky, carrying the two mages with it. I was torn between stopping it so that Lyon would be safe, and continuing through with it to end Aprindere. But in the end, I realized what I had to do. Lyon had known what he was doing when he froze them together. He would want me to go through with it. I just had to finish the move, so that his sacrifice would be for nothing. A tear slipped down my cheek. _Lyon, please be alright._ And then I whipped the cyclone around and slammed it down with as much strength as I could muster. The funnel of water struck the earth with enough force to shake the ground. Several nearby buildings collapsed, already weakened from the flames licking at them.

We all stood in stunned silence for a few moments as the water flooded across the street, spilling its load onto the cobblestones. The others in our group looked on cautiously, afraid of what they might see. I could do nothing but stare at the two figures for a minute, lying several meters apart. But then I flew across the small river winding through the street to collapse on my knees beside Lyon. He was laying face-up, his eyes closed. Several bloody gashes peppered his face and body, and suddenly his image blurred as more tears filled my eyes.

"Lyon!" I cried, pressing my hand to a wound on his forehead to staunch the flow of blood.

He twitched, his eyebrows drawing together in pain. I anxiously leaned closer, wanting to see the second he opened his eyes. When he did, they were filled with pride. "Juvia. I always knew you had it in you." His voice was frighteningly weak. I had to bring my ear practically to his mouth to catch his words. "I'm so…proud of…you."

"No, Lyon! You have to stay with me!" I shook him, trying to force him to stay awake. It was useless, though. His eyes drifted shut again, and I frantically looked around for the Sky Dragonslayer. "Wendy! You have to come heal Lyon!"

The blue-haired little girl came running through the water, a frightened look on her face. "Juvia-san, is he okay? That was a very powerful attack…."

"I know!" I moaned. "Please, heal him!"

As Wendy placed her hands over him and set to work, I turned my attention to the other mage, lying face-down in the water a short ways away. I warily approached him, and when he still didn't move, I gingerly poked him in the shoulder. Still no response. So I flipped him onto his back. And felt like puking. His entire body looked like it had been through a meat grinder. His clothes and skin were torn and bloody, slashed repeatedly by the razor water blades in the vortex.

"Well, he looks like he's down." Laxus's voice was dark as he sloshed through the water towards me. "That bastard got what he deserved."

I looked away from Aprindere, not wanting to look at him for long. I couldn't bring myself to touch him to feel for a pulse, but I figured that there was no need. Not with the condition he was in. I accepted Laxus's offered hand and got to my feet. The others gathered around us, looking down on the two bodies lying in the water. I watched Wendy tensely, each second seeming to last an eternity. When she finally took her hands away from Lyon, I practically strangled her in my desperation to know what the scoop was.

"Is he okay? Will he make it?"

Wendy looked up at me with tired eyes. She nodded slowly. "He should be alright now. Just a little tired when he wakes up." I heaved a sigh of relief. The relief made way for a little flicker of guilt, for being the one to cause his state. However, I couldn't help but be proud for having single-handedly defeated Aprindere.

"What now?" Chelia asked.

"We go find the others," Laxus declared in his deep voice. We all nodded our agreement, and Laxus stooped to sling Lyon over his shoulder. I winced at the unceremonious position, but knew I could do nothing about it. Elfman grabbed Hibiki, who was still lying unconscious on the ground where Natsu had left him. Before he…. I couldn't finish the thought.

And so we all set off through the town, leaving the burning buildings behind to draw closer to the group the two members of our group who had gone on before us had stumbled across.

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**Hey guys! Hope you all enjoyed the return of Jerza! :D From here on out, they'll be around for the rest of the story! Since, you know, they've all rendezvoused. ;) But about that... I actually started to write this chapter, and then when I got to like 8,000 words, I decided to break it up into two chapters! :D You're welcome. So now, you lucky ducks get a double update! :D Woot woot! So the rest of the groups coming together will happen in part 2. Hope you all enjoyed this part! **

**Don't forget to leave a review, favorite, and follow! :D**


	14. Chapter 14 - Rendezvous Part 2

A/N: So here is the promised Part 2! I know, it's been so long since I updated with Part 1...try to recall what it was about. :3 Haha obviously, still the same people to thank. So here ya go! :D

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_Gray_

_Must kill Rogue._ That was the only thought that kept repeating in my mind. Well, that and 'kill everyone else.' I couldn't say why; I just knew that I had to kill them.

_I have to kill them now. They are all my enemies. They must be eliminated._

The urge to drive my ice blade through the person closest to me—Rogue—intensified so that I was unable to resist. Not that I wanted to. I wanted nothing more than to slaughter everyone in sight, except for the woman with the violet hair. I would do anything for her.

"Ice make: Ice Excalibur!" The slender rapier materialized in my hand, ready for battle. "Here I go!" I yelled, surging towards Rogue. He turned like clockwork and slipped away, like the shadow he represented. Only to materialize behind me and land a solid kick to my back. I staggered forward and spun to face him again, but he was already gone. Growling, I turned in a slow circle, looking for any sign of him.

"Shadow Dragon's Roar!" The cry alerted me to his position to my left, and I ducked to the side just in time to avoid the blast of black shadows.

I switched my sword out for my ice cannon, aiming it toward the other black-haired man. The blast from my cannon knocked me backwards, and I used my momentum to roll to my feet. Once again, the Shadow Dragonslayer had vanished from sight. Clenching my fists in anger, I spun to look around the makeshift underground arena for him. Instead of finding Rogue, I saw Sting staggering toward the violet-haired woman. His hands were bathed in white light, a murderous look on his angular face.

Before I was even fully aware of what I was doing, I had thrown myself at the White Dragonslayer, sending a barrage of ice blades at him. They never had a chance to connect, though. Rogue materialized in front of me, a black vortex of shadows expanding in front of him to devour all my ice blades. I ground my teeth in frustration, slashing through his shadows with my death scythe.

We returned to circling each other, though Rogue always kept himself between me and Sting. The look on his face was utterly emotionless, not a hint of recognition in his eyes. Vaguely, I wondered if I looked the same. I certainly felt detached from everyone around me. Except for the woman facing off with Sting. I couldn't explain it, but there was just this…connection with her. I would do anything she asked of me. And I would do anything to keep her safe, which meant that I had to go through Rogue to get to Sting to prevent him from attacking her.

As it turned out, that was easier said than done. Rogue lashed out at me with his shadows, slicing through my clothes, which were mysteriously still on. Strangely, I had no urge to take them off. I sent a pack of snow tigers after him, but he managed to evade them for the most part. One of them made a slash across his left leg when he didn't leap aside fast enough, but he quickly pulverized it into a million glittering fragments. We continued in this manner for several minutes, neither of us giving. I paused to assess his condition, panting heavily. Sweat dripped from my brow and mingled with the rivulets of blood that trickled down my temple from my hairline. Rogue wasn't in any better condition; he spat blood from his mouth and was favoring his left leg.

Suddenly, I saw something off in the corner, behind Rogue. An idea came to me before I was even fully aware that it had taken root. I sent a rampart of ice towards him, and used the distraction to run past him. Skidding to a halt at the edge of the rock wall, I stooped to pick up the two small felines, lying unconscious on the ground. I couldn't tell if they were still alive or not, but I didn't care, even though there was something familiar about them. Instead, I turned and threw them at Rogue to throw him off guard. As I'd planned, he instinctively held his arms up to catch them before they could hit him. In the moment after he'd caught them and had taken a second to process what it was he was holding, his face transformed so suddenly that it almost caught me off guard. His face filled with a pain so bitter that his eyes filled with tears. He didn't have time to experience much else, because I launched myself at him and rammed an ice pike through his hands to nail him to the floor. He looked up at me with a sorrowful look just before I flipped away and brought an ice prison down over him, effectively locking him in.

Something tugged at my heart as I saw his face in my mind again, but I was unable to focus on it. I quickly shook it off and turned to my next opponent; Sting.

The White Dragonslayer was battling with the woman, his movements clumsy and sluggish. The woman dodged his pitiful attempts easily, but for some reason, her face displayed utter rage instead of humor at his pitiful state.

"You dare to fight my control?" she hissed at him, whipping a knife out from the folds of her long black evening gown. "So be it; you shall suffer just the same."

The woman leapt at him with the knife raised. Sting roared and threw his arm into the air, catching the knife's blade in a ball of white light that was enveloping his hand. Her face twisted into ugly fury, and she tried to withdraw her knife from his magic's grip. He refused to back down, and, with great effort, brought his other arm up to aim a blast of white light at her.

I immediately leapt forward to block his attack. But for just a second, something else flickered in my mind. The knowledge that Sting was my friend, my ally. And that something was terribly wrong. The brief slip was enough to allow Sting time to land a blow on the woman with his Dragonslayer magic. I reeled backwards, as if I had been the one struck. But instead of a physical blow, I had received a mental blow. I stood there, blinking my eyes in sudden clarity. The violet-haired woman was the enemy. And she was mind-controlling us.

As soon as the thought came to me, I realized that I had no idea what I had been doing. I turned in confusion to look around me. Rogue was lying unconscious on the ground with the Exceeds lying across his chest, and he was pinned beneath an ice cage with two pikes holding him down. My jaw fell open, and I gaped at him in horror. Had I done that? My first instinct was to undo the cage on him, but then I figured that he would actually be safer in it. So I settled for merely allowing the pikes nailing him to the ground to disappear.

I turned to look around me again, and saw that all the others were also fighting amongst themselves. Kagura and Ultear, Ren and Sherry. And of course, Sting with the evil woman. Elme, I thought her name was. Millianna was lying a little ways away, unconscious with a bloody gash across her forehead.

_Ah, heck. Things are going to hell here._

As I stood in shock, surveying my surroundings, Sting seemed to gain strength in his battle with Elme. His movements were quicker, more precise. So I turned my attention to the other pairs, trying to gauge who was in the worst condition. Now that I was no longer being influenced, I knew I had to try to prevent the others from killing each other. I didn't know why I was the only one to have been released from the effects of Elme's magic, but I did know that it was my responsibility to do all I could to provide backup for Sting. My respect for the Sabertooth mage increased as I realized that he had been fighting her control all along.

Ren suddenly trapped Sherry in a bubble of air, and she immediately fell to the ground; in this bubble, gravity was especially strong. She weakly tried to lift herself, but was unable to move more than an inch or two. Finally exhausted, she collapsed to the ground again, her chest heaving as she struggled to breathe. Ren stepped closer, and he must have started sucking all the oxygen from her lungs, for Sherry gasped and clawed at her throat desperately. Her face was turning blue already. I immediately started running toward them, prepared to knock Ren out so he would lose his hold on the magic imprisoning Sherry.

Before I could reach them though, Ren suddenly staggered backwards, his own hands flying to his throat. I stumbled in shock, wondering what was happening. His tan face paled as he stared down at Sherry, shock and horror crossing his face in the same beat. Then the bubble of air over Sherry disappeared, and Ren sank to his knees beside her. She was left gasping as air was suddenly allowed to flow back into her starved lungs once more.

"Sherry," Ren said hoarsely, reaching hesitantly out to her.

"Ren, what happened?" she responded equally hoarsely. Fear shone in her blue eyes as she reached her own shaking hand out to her fiancé. A strangled sob suddenly burst from his throat as he grabbed Sherry and hauled her to his chest. After a moment of stunned silence, Sherry wrapped her own arms around him and hugged him back, burying her face in his chest.

"Sherry, I'm so sorry. I don't know what I was thinking…no, I _wasn't _thinking. I can never forgive myself for hurting you." His grip on her tightened, and I could hear the raw, painful emotion in his voice.

"Ren, you can't blame yourself. I know it wasn't your fault. Besides," Sherry said, pulling away to gaze tenderly into his dark eyes, "you didn't kill me, did you? That means that your love for me is stronger than any magical control."

As the couple embraced each other and meshed their lips together, I could only stare in disbelief. Okay, and I was a little touched. I hastily wiped the tear from my eyelashes before it could incriminate me by falling.

As the danger with Ren and Sherry was averted, I turned my attention away from the lovers to find Kagura and Ultear battling. It was obvious that they were at an impasse. Ultear was prevented from launching an attack because of Kagura's gravity alterations, but any attempt that Kagura made to attack Ultear was rendered useless by her Arc of Time magic. I watched as the ground around Kagura alternately disintegrated into fine particles of sand, causing her to sink, and soared up into the sky, almost smashing Kagura against the sides of the enclosure.

At last, after Kagura was caught off guard by Ultear's use of Ice Make magic, the older mage was able to break free from the effects of the gravity alteration. She rushed Kagura with her orbs poised to attack, and the other girl was unable to defend, as she was trapped in the tangle of ice thorns. Seeing the need to act, I jumped in and erected an ice wall around Kagura. Now that I had joined their battle, Ultear turned her blank eyes to me. I realized too late that my ice was practically useless against her Arc of Time, as I felt the rush of water crash down behind me. Kagura was still trapped in the thorny vines, but at least she was out of the way. I would deal with Ultear, though I would do so without attacking her. I would make her snap out of Elme's control, and once she was no longer a threat, we could get Kagura to break out of it.

So I sent a floor of ice forming beneath her. This time, it was her mistake in turning it to water; she slipped and was sent sprawling just the same. I couldn't help but smile as I remembered that I had used this same trick on her once before, seven years ago. This time, I didn't hesitate to pounce on her to pin her to the ground. As I was already bleeding, I just swiped my hands across my wounds and froze the blood on my hands to bind my hands to her wrists.

"Ultear," I began, looking her directly in the eyes, "this isn't you. Snap out of it; you're being controlled!"

Her eyes remained blank and devoid of recognition, and I felt something tug at the back of my mind. Her image seemed to waver, replaced by a ghostly apparition. My eyes widened as I realized what was happening; she was attempting to possess me.

"Stop it!" I cried, roughly shutting my eyes to block out the image. "You have to fight it, Ultear! Fight the control! Your mother would want you to fight it, dammit! She would've been able to shake it off without any help!" I cracked my eyes to risk a glance at her, to see if there was any reaction yet. The tiniest flicker of understanding flared in her brown eyes before it was eclipsed again by the lifeless control.

I could feel her slipping into my mind now, and knew that I was running out of time. I was also running out of ammunition. I had to think of something, fast, or I would be completely at her mercy. The idea came to me suddenly, but I wasn't sure if it would work or not.

"Ultear," I tried again, my words coming out strangled, "you are one of the founders of Crime Sorcière. You're better than this. Think of Jellal and Meredy. They depend on you, the real you. Why did you found your guild? To atone for your past sins! If you do this, all your hard work will have gone to waste! _So fight this control, dammit! _Ultear, we need you!"

After another moment, I felt the pressure in my mind abate. Her chocolaty eyes cleared for good this time, and I saw the confusion that filled them as she stared up at me. Her attention shifted to the bloody ice I'd used to seal my hands to hers, and the state of our allies all around us. Her eyes widened as she realized what was going on.

"She controlled us again, didn't she?" Her voice was a low growl, her eyes darkening to a stormy black. "I will never forgive her. She made me break my vow to never hurt a friend again. I can never atone for this sin."

I allowed the red ice to shatter as I moved my hands to her shoulders. "Ultear, listen to me," I said firmly, forcing her to look into my eyes. "This wasn't your fault. This is no one's fault but _hers_." I jerked my head to indicate the violet-haired woman. In a softer tone, I added, "I don't know everything about your guild, but I don't think that its real purpose is to punish you. rather, I believe it is to help those around you, as a way of giving back. So you can't continue to blame yourself for this. For anything. You have to accept that it happened and look forward now. Only then will you be able to become stronger and truly help those around you. And part of that is accepting yourself; you're only hurting your friends and those who care about you by continuing to believe you have to punish yourself for your past."

She gazed at me for several long moments, wonder plain in her eyes. A single tear welled in her eye and slid silently down her temple. "How…?" she whispered.

I smiled down at her. Then I sat up and held out my hand. She looked at it for a moment, and then placed her own hand in mine. I helped her to her feet, and we stood across from each other, gazing into each other's faces. I could feel the warmth of her hand on my palm as I said simply, "I promised I would erase the darkness within you. And even though that promise was made seven years ago, I promise that I will still fulfill it."

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_Lucy _

I looked down on the city passing beneath us as Natsu flew low over the buildings, searching for any sign of the other groups. We were headed for the patch of smoke rising up from the buildings up ahead. I hoped that our allies were alright.

When we swooped over the burning buildings a few seconds later, we could spot no sign of the group that had been there. Several of the streets were flooded with water, so I figured that that had been the group with Juvia. Wherever they were now, there was no sign of them.

"What do we do now?" I asked Natsu, shouting to be heard over the roaring flames down below.

I could hear the anxiety in his voice as he spoke to my mind. _Let's continue searching for the other groups. When I saw them in the vision, they were in pretty bad shape._

My throat tightened as I thought about what the others could be facing. I had escaped with a broken hand and numerous cuts and bruises, and that had been with the help of my spirits, Yukino and Natsu. _Please, please don't let anyone die._

We continued to fly over the city, which was eerily empty. I was just about to make a remark to Natsu about that when he suddenly dove lower to the ground. I clung to his back tightly so as not to be thrown off. My protest died in my mouth as I saw what he had seen. Down below, gathered in a hole in the ground, was our original group.

As Natsu dove lower, I was able to make out some of the individuals. Ren and Sherry were…making out? Ultear and Gray were shaking hands, and Kagura appeared to be trapped in a web of ice vines. A little ways off, Millianna was lying unconscious with a smear of red across her forehead. And sweet Mavis, was that Rogue lying in an ice cage, the two Exceeds lying motionless on the ground beside him? _Just what happened here?_

As if in answer to my thoughts, Natsu spoke grimly to my mind, _They were fighting amongst themselves. I think it was because of that woman._

I looked in the direction he'd mentally indicated. Sting was battling with a violet-haired woman in a black evening gown. Even from here, I could see the waves of hatred rising off of them both. There was also an aura of fear coming from the woman.

With a crash that shook the earth, Natsu landed on the edge of the crater and bellowed a roar. Everyone down below cried out in terror and surprise as they looked up and saw the giant red dragon perched above them, its wings still spread on either side of its body. I could only imagine the awe they must be feeling at seeing a living dragon. Especially Sting and Rogue. The latter had stood up and clasped the icy bars in his hands, a look of incredulity on his face. Sting's eyes widened as he looked up at us, his mouth falling open. Too late, I called a warning down to him.

"Sting, look out!" My cry was lost in the ferocious shriek that split the air as the dark mage lunged for him and drove a small stiletto into Sting's stomach.

The Dragonslayer staggered backwards in shock, one hand going to his stomach. The world seemed to stand still as he wrapped his hand around the hilt and yanked it out. I could only watch in horror as he turned and slammed the blade into the woman's chest. Her own eyes widened in shock as she looked down at the blade in her chest. The smugness faded from her face as she slowly fell backwards, crumpling into a heap on the ground. Then she was still.

Gray cried out and rushed to Sting's side. Rogue thrashed against the ice cage, yelling for Gray to let him out. Gray was too busy catching Sting as he fell to hear the other Dragonslayer. Ultear turned the enclosure into water, and Rogue threw himself at Sting. I could see the panic written plainly on his usually emotionless face as he grabbed Sting away from Gray and hoisted him into his arms. His eyes were feverish as they flicked up to Natsu, still perched on the ledge in shock. Rogue backed up a step, as though he were afraid of Natsu. It took me a moment to break through the haze of shock that had descended over me, but when I did, I realized that Rogue wasn't afraid; he distrusted Natsu because he didn't know it was him.

"Rogue!" I called down to him, leaning my head over Natsu's shoulder so they could get a better view of me. "It's alright! This is Natsu!" They all gaped up at me like I'd just sprouted a second head. Or maybe a fifth. Either way, I didn't have time to let them absorb the information I'd just chucked at them. "Natsu, down! Everyone, get on! We'll go take you to find Wendy and Chelia, and they'll heal Sting!"

Even before I'd finished speaking, the others had leapt into action. Natsu hopped into the pit, and it was suddenly much smaller than it had been before. Ren used his air magic to lift everyone onto Natsu's back, and the red dragon leaped up into the air again. Within seconds, we were soaring above the houses as they flashed by us. I dimly wondered if we'd even be able to see the others, traveling at this speed. However, I had much more pressing matters to deal with.

Rogue was cradling Sting in his lap, a terrified look etched into his face. His usually pale face was even paler than usual, and my heart went out to the Dragonslayer. Both of them. "Rogue, let me see."

He turned wary eyes to me, half-mad with grief and denial. For a moment, I thought he wouldn't let me come near his injured friend. Then, as I crawled closer with as soothing a face as I could manage, he reluctantly relaxed his hold on Sting to let me inspect the wound. I was by no means qualified to treat people's injuries, but at least I could help staunch the blood flow.

The wound wasn't very big, but it was deep. A dark crimson stain was already spreading across his whole abdomen, dripping onto Natsu's red scales. Sting's breathing was labored, his face ashen and waxy. As I took in his pallid complexion, I felt my own face drain of blood. Gingerly, I reached out to him and peeled the soaked shirt away from his stomach. It was heavy with all the blood it had absorbed, and I felt my stomach clench when I saw the bloody flesh beneath. A dark piece of fabric was shoved beneath my face then, and I started as I looked up at Rogue. He was shirtless now, offering me a strip he had ripped off of the material. I nodded my thanks and accepted the strip, before gently using it to wipe away as much of the blood as I could. Once the fabric could no longer hold any more blood, Rogue offered me another strip. Two more strips later, I finally deemed it good enough to begin wrapping it. Rogue had apparently already shredded the rest of his shirt, so I accepted the proffered pieces and began wrapping them around Sting's abdomen. A tiny groan of pain escaped his pale lips, and we both let out a sigh of relief. At least he was responding.

When Natsu began dipping a few seconds later, I peered over the edge of his side. My stomach plummeted further. Down below, I saw the group we'd been searching for. But they weren't alone. They were in a large, empty square that was filled with everyone else from the alliance. I could see several figures lying motionless on the ground, and splashes of scarlet were everywhere. And not thirty feet below us was a trio of mages battling in the air. I recognized Mira and Fried, but the third was a man with shaggy blond hair and a long white coat. Their movements were lightning-fast and precise; a deadly dance.

A sigh slid past my lips as I sat back and leaned my head back against Natsu's warm neck. At least we had rejoined the others. Now that we were all in one place, we stood a much greater chance of defeating the enemy. I still wasn't sure how many there were in all, but the fact that everyone had assembled here boded well, I decided. After all, we could finally join forces now and become more powerful, right?

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**Ooh, what do you think will happen now that they're all together? Are they out of the storm yet? Or just in the eye of the hurricane? Don't forget to leave a review (yes, on this part, too!), fave and follow! Until next time!**


	15. Chapter 15 - Darkbringer

A/N: Well minna, we're entering into the final few chapters. Things will be escalating quickly from here, and the chapters might be a little shorter. :(

Thank you to **Lightmoon54, severedserenity, FoxOnPie, Sky Slayer, ElodieKumari94 **and all the guests who took the time to review on the last couple chapters (released at the same time. If you haven't read chapter 13, please make sure you go back and do that! I know some people apparently missed that chapter since I uploaded 13 and 14 at the same time)! Additional thanks go to **inazumadraco**, **Ein011**, **Syryn17** and **fatogami** for following or favoriting! And the biggest thanks of all go to **GingerificFabulousTime**, my real-life BFF who always finds time in her busy schedule to read my stories and review! :) (And for cheating the system with me! XD You are too devilish, my friend!) You guys should go check out her stories; they're awesome! :D

Anyways, now that the Thank Yous are done, I'll shamelessly do some more advertising for myself! ^.^ I recently started another Fairy Tail story, called Diary of a High School Rock Band. Please feel free to go check that one out! :) I generally update that one more often than this story, too.

If you took the time to read this whole rambling author's note, kudos to you. I have nothing else left to say, except please enjoy this chapter!:)

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Chapter Fifteen – Darkbringer

_Erza_

I looked up at the sky, my eyes widening as I took in the crimson dragon descending towards us. Everyone else stopped what they were doing to look up in shock, too. Jellal moved to stand in front of me in a defensive stance. From somewhere behind me, I heard Gajeel mutter, "What the hell?" That about summed up my thoughts.

I changed into my Purgatory Armor, preparing to take on whatever new devilry these dark mages had summoned. I shifted my giant, spiked cleaver in my hands, adjusting my stance. Just then, I heard a familiar voice call down to us.

"Don't be afraid! It's us!" I squinted up at the dragon—no, at the figure peering over the dragon's shoulder—and recognized Gray's spiky black hair and fiery blue eyes.

"Gray! What's going on?" I yelled. The massive red dragon sent up a cloud of dust as it landed in the center of the square. Everybody on the ground rushed to make room for them. As soon as the dust cleared enough for me to see, I sprinted towards the dragon and peered up at its passengers. It appeared that all the rest of our alliance had arrived.

The ice mage hopped off the dragon's back and strode over to me with a grave expression on his face. "Before you decide to do something dumb, I'll tell you that this is Natsu." He patted the dragon's scaly leg, and my jaw nearly struck the ground. "Details can wait," he said brusquely. "We've come to give backup, but there are some injured people on board. We need Wendy and Chelia."

As if to prove his words, I looked up to see Rogue carrying something in his arms as he leapt gracefully from the dragon's—Natsu's—back and landed on the ground in front of us. His face had a dangerous expression, and I saw why as I realized that it was the White Dragonslayer he held in his arms. A swath of bloody bandages was wrapped around his torso, and his face looked ashen. My heart went out to the Shadow Dragonslayer as I thought about how painful it must be to hold his dying friend. But I steeled myself and strode briskly over to him to guide him over to where Wendy and Chelia were already working on Lyon. As we approached, they looked up with pale, drawn faces. Fortunately, they appeared to have just finished with Lyon. He was good to go now, and just had to wake up on his own.

"Can you heal him?" Rogue asked desperately, laying Sting gently down in front of them. Chelia and Wendy looked at each other, and then at the wound, and then back at Rogue's haggard face. They nodded simultaneously, determination stealing across their youthful faces.

"We will save him," Wendy said with more determination than I'd ever heard from her.

Leaving the two Sky Slayers to do their thing, I turned back to survey the crowd. The rest of the people on Natsu had disembarked, and word had apparently spread that the massive red dragon was Natsu. Everyone was gathering around him with awe on their faces, and Gajeel actually turned red in the face as he leapt to his feet and screamed about how unfair it was.

"Natsuuuuuuuuu!" Happy shrieked. A small blue ball careened into the dragon's snout, looking microscopic next to the giant reptile. Unfortunately, Natsu's scales were also harder than his human flesh, so Happy slammed into Natsu and slid down his face with a dazed look on his feline face. "Natsu…" he whimpered, tears spilling from his eyes, "I thought you were dead! I missed you! But I think you gave me a concussion…."

Lucy rushed to catch the falling Exceed in her arms, and Natsu peered down at his feline partner with a mix of concern and guilt on his reptilian face. At the same time, I heard a faint voice coming from behind me. With shock, I realized that the voice had come from the White Dragonslayer. I turned back to where I'd left him with Rogue and the two girls, and saw that his lips were moving slightly. Curiosity took me as I ducked closer.

"Don't…worry about me." Sting's voice was weak and breathy, every word an immense effort. "Save…Lector and…Frosch…." With a final shuddering breath, he went completely limp, his head lulling to the side. Chelia smoothed his blond hair back from his sweaty forehead and cooed soothing things to him, and Wendy looked around for the Exceeds in question. I felt a presence at my back and turned around in time to see Kagura carrying two bundles in her arms. My eyes widened as I realized that they were the two Sabertooth Exceeds. The sight was so shocking that I actually stood staring dumbly for a few moments before I snapped back to attention and made room for her to bring the Exceeds to their owners. The way she cradled them so gently to her chest made me stare at her with a shrewd eye. _Since when has she cared about them? Shouldn't it be Millianna who is obsessed with caring for them?_ Just then, I saw the cat-like girl stagger over, a hand pressed to her temple. Her eyes were unfocused, and she collapsed on the ground next to Wendy.

"Hey, Kagura-chan," she slurred weakly. "Take care of the kitties, okay?" She then proceeded to pass out.

Wendy squeaked and rushed to examine Millianna. I glanced at her with concern, and then noticed that Kagura ducked her head in guilt. I faced the other swordswoman with a raised brow. In a rare show of vulnerability, she bit her lip and shifted nervously.

"We were controlled to fight against each other," she mumbled. Now I understood why Millianna was in such a bad state and Kagura felt guilty. I wanted to blame Kagura for hurting my friend, but I knew it wasn't her fault. I sighed and clasped her shoulder to show her my support. She nodded her thanks and passed the Exceeds off to Rogue.

"What happened to them?" I asked in concern. We both knew that I was really asking who had injured them.

Kagura sighed and glanced down at the man lying on the ground. I nodded my understanding. No wonder why he was so concerned for them then. I would feel like dying if I had hurt my friends.

"But after that, he was the only one to remain free of her control," she hastily added. I looked at her with curiosity. She had done nothing to defend herself after implicitly admitting to having been the one to put Millianna in her current state. But now, after admitting that Sting had been the one to hurt the Exceeds, she felt the need to stand up for him. _Very interesting._ _Especially considering that if anything, she would want to redeem herself for hurting a friend of mine. Why Sting then?_ I watched her closely as Kagura drew a breath to continue. "He was the strongest out of all of us, to be able to resist the brunt of that mage's control powers. And then…even after she stabbed him, he managed to take the knife out of his own gut and put an end to her." She seemed close to tears, and her voice was oddly quavering.

Suddenly, I understood clearly. Kagura had…feelings for Sting. _When the hell did this happen?_ I thought, dazed. I never would have guessed.

My musings were interrupted when I heard a massive boom sounding from behind me. I spun to see what had happened, a sword materializing in my hand. People were rushing towards something in the middle of the square, shouting at each other. Immediately wary, I dashed over to see what was going on.

"Hold him down!" I heard Gildarts shout. I brushed past one of the girls from Mermaid Heel and saw the blond mage lying on the ground in a crater. He snarled in fury as he bucked against the arms holding him down. His eyes were glowing a bloody red.

I immediately helped to pin him down by driving my sword through his shoulder. My gaze was cold as it locked with his. Instead of pain in his eyes, there was only hatred.

"You brats will pay," he spat. I drove my sword in deeper.

Mira landed beside me then, her eyes blazing and her chest heaving. "I guess that decides who the stronger demon is," she said coldly, her voice deeper and rougher than usual. The mage roared his rage and renewed his struggles against his restraints.

"This proves nothing," he hissed. "You will all die now. It's too late for you. She has come with the night, and you will fade away. Like the rest of them." An eerie laugh bubbled up from his throat, echoing through the night. His strange words stirred something within me, and I glanced up to the skyline. Just in time to see the last of the orange stains flee beneath the horizon, plunging the world into shadows.

"Erza!" I heard Jellal scream. My heart lurched as I spun to find him. I saw him running towards me with his hand outstretched before him, a panicked look on his usually stoic face. But then he disappeared. Or rather, my sight disappeared. My whole world was plunged into blackness, a darkness so thick that even sound fled before it. I could feel the screams vibrating through the air all around me, but I couldn't hear them. I tensed up and spun around, trying to feel my way around to figure out what was going on. Just then, someone collided with me, and I was almost sent sprawling backwards. However, a pair of warm hands grabbed my arms and tugged me against a solid chest before I could fall.

I started to panic and summon a sword when I realized that the heartbeat pounding in my ear was familiar. As were the hands wrapped around my shoulders. And the scent, that was uniquely…Jellal.

I felt my name rumble through his chest as he murmured it into my hair, though I couldn't hear it. I was still a bit anxious from my lack of sight and hearing, but at least I knew that Jellal was here. After allowing myself one luxurious minute in the safety of his arms, I reluctantly pulled away. I left my fingers twined with his though, just so we wouldn't lose sight of each other, so to speak. Then I closed my eyes and tried to sense what was going on around me. I could feel the chaos that reigned in this darkness, as people stumbled around crying out in terror. What was worse was that it seemed to have a dampening effect on magic. My brow furrowed when I realized that I couldn't requip into my Lightning Empress Armor to produce lightning that might help break up the perpetuity of this gloom.

_The darkness is my domain. I can trap you all within it for as long as I desire._

I jerked around, recognizing the high, whispering voice as the one that had spoken in my mind before, when I had been in the alley with Jellal. _Who are you? And what do you want?_ I thought viciously, casting the thought out at whoever was listening. I was done playing games. I danced to no one's tune but my own.

_So direct. I like that. So I promise that I will kill you as bluntly as your words. Torture is rather messy anyways; clean deaths are always easier, don't you think? _I was chilled by the calm, serious way in which the voice spoke those thoughts into my mind.

_Show yourself!_ I yelled mentally.

As suddenly as if I had just opened my eyes, the utter darkness was lifted from me and I saw the moon shining down on the city square. Everyone else looked around in relief, some falling to their knees as they were able to see again. My gaze roved over the people assembled in the square around me, taking stock of everyone's condition. Gajeel was on his feet, Levy cradled protectively in his bulky arms. The small group of people and Exceeds with Wendy and Chelia was huddled together, forming a ring around the girls as they continued to focus on their healing art. Ren and Sherry were clinging to each other, as were Elfman and Evergreen. The latter pair jumped apart as soon as they realized they could see each other, looking anywhere but at each other. Natsu—still in dragon form—hunched protectively over Lucy, who was cowering against his front leg as he wrapped his tail around her.

My gaze wandered over everyone, satisfied that they were all okay. And then it snagged on a new pair. Or rather, I recognized the blond mage from before, but the person at his side was new. Baring my teeth, I looked down and saw that he had somehow managed to escape the crater in all the chaos. The mysterious girl standing at his side looked to be no older than twelve and had long, wavy blonde hair that reached down past her hips. She was wearing a fancy pink gown with lace and a high collar, and her white-booted feet were pressed primly together as she stood calmly and faced us. When she spoke, my blood ran cold.

"I am very pleased to meet everyone," she said in a high, clear monotone. The same voice that had spoken to me in my mind. "I am Malaena Darkbringer. I have come to bid you all an eternal night."

"You can't defeat us all with just the two of you," Gray snarled, his muscles rippling beneath his bare skin.

"It isn't just the two of us," she said with the same monotone. As she stared at us with her cold, dead blue eyes, I saw movement stirring in the shadows behind her. Another man staggered out, coming to stand at her side with an insane smile on his face. He favored his left leg, the pant leg shredded and the skin beneath stained with blood. His whole torso was covered in bloody gashes, and his right arm looked like it was hanging from a bloody thread. Bile rose in my throat as I took in his gruesome appearance.

"Aprindere!" Juvia gasped, putting a hand to her throat. "But…I killed you! How…?"

"It'll take more than this to kill me," he growled, his eyes glowing an eerie shade of green. "Especially since I have this favor to return."

A pale figure staggered over to stand in front of Juvia, his arms outstretched on either side. "You'll have to go through me first," Lyon gritted out through his teeth. Juvia immediately put a hand on his shoulder and leaned forward to peer at him with concern.

"Lyon, stay out of this! You still need time for your body to recover!"

"My body is recovered. And my mind was never injured. I will destroy him."

"You? You can barely stand!" Aprindere scoffed. Juvia wrapped an arm around his waist so that he could lean on her, but Lyon continued to glare at the other mage with such fierce hatred that I knew this Aprindere would come to regret his words.

"You don't look any better," Mira pointed out, her arms crossed over her chest and a cold look of determination in her eye. "Two powerful mages and a half-dead mage can't stand up to our combined power."

"Maybe not," Malaena began slowly. My stomach immediately sank, a bad feeling stealing through me. "But I have a whole army of people behind me. They will be enough to distract you while I finish you off."

Just as she finished speaking, a mob of people began streaming from the alleys, until we were completely surrounded. They were dressed like normal villagers, but there was something animalistic in their expressions as they closed in on us.

"Tch." I hissed and bared my teeth, requipping into my Heaven's Wheel Armor and readying my swords. Everyone else in our alliance moved closer and formed a ring facing the oncoming people, their faces saying that they were ready to fight. Natsu remained in dragon form, most likely until he decided that we were safe. I nodded in approval.

"Everyone," I called, raising my voice to carry over the monotonous drone coming from the people, "try not to injure any of the townspeople too badly. There may still be a chance for them to return to normal once we defeat the Dark Mages controlling them. That said, we must focus our power on defeating them!" I waved my arm toward the three mages standing off to the side. The two men wore smirks of disdain, while the girl—their leader—merely looked on with an emotionless expression. It was eerie to see on her youthful face.

The alliance roared its approval, and we prepared to charge.

"It won't do you any good," the little girl called in a bland voice. "They're not being controlled. Not since you defeated Lieutenant Elme. However, I no longer need to control them. All I had to do was steal their hope, and they became mindless animals, desperate for a taste of the light. Sadly, they have no magic, as Lieutenant Sitri already drained them. But I think that they'll manage just fine, don't you? They've already lost their humanity; they'll do anything to feel the light again, and you all possess quite a healthy dosage. They'll be hungry for…a taste."

Not a second after she finished speaking, the townspeople rushed us, their mouths gaping like soulless animals. A wave of horror swept over me as I saw the state they'd been reduced to, but I didn't have time to dwell on it; I had to fight to protect my friends. An eerie, bone-chilling wail rose up from the masses as they surged toward us, their eyes blank with no trace of humanity in their depths.

I yelled as I raised my swords and sliced at them, keeping them at bay. At my side, Jellal sent a blast of power at them to send a large chunk of them flying backwards. I expected them to be wary about approaching us again, but to my shock, they surged toward us with just as much mindless need as before. One man got closer than the others, so close that I could see his blank white orbs in his skull. He snapped his teeth at me hungrily, strings of saliva hanging from his teeth and lips. His fingers reached for me like bony claws. My sword slashed forward before I could think, sliding between his rib cage. I stared in horror as bloody froth gathered at his lips, and he fell forward to crash to the ground not a foot from my feet.

"Erza!" Jellal shouted. His voice sounded like it was filtering through a tunnel. When I felt his warm hands on my shoulders, I realized I had been standing motionlessly, staring down in horror at the man I had just killed. "Snap out of it! Do what you must." His voice was hard, but his eyes were understanding as he peered into my face.

I nodded and mentally slapped myself. I had momentarily been so absorbed in the fact that the man had looked like a soulless beast that I hadn't thought once about killing him. But then the realization had frozen me, and that was something that I could not allow to happen again. Painful determination stole over me as I realized that I might have no other choice but to kill again. They were simply too far gone for them to think about pain or consequences.

With renewed determination, I changed into my Lightning Empress Armor and sent a line of lightning from my spear. It crackled along the ground, electrocuting any who came to close. At least for now they were falling back, but I knew it wouldn't last. Looking around, I saw that Gray had erected an ice wall in front of his section of the circle, and was creating an ice floor around that. The townspeople weren't able to get any closer. On his other side, I saw Lyon doing the same, but towards the trio of mages who were still standing off to the side. I felt my heart lurch with worry as he sent a balustrade towards them, forcing them to leap aside to avoid being struck. Juvia raced forward, her fists wreathed in water.

I had to refocus on the people in front of me to send another branch of lightning towards a cluster of people who were creeping closer again. When I returned my gaze to Juvia, I saw that she was aiming for the wounded man, who had leapt to the other side of the ice wall than the others. He had apparently also realized that he was cut off from them, for he looked around in a panic, looking like a caged animal. He managed to dodge Juvia's first attack, cursing as he held his limp arm. But the dodge had put him with his back to the group of mages behind him, and Lyon took the opportunity to send another blast of ice at him, this time managing to encase his body up to his chest in ice. Still weak from his previous battle, Lyon collapsed to the ground, his magic having drained the last of his strength. Gray stooped to lift his friend and fellow student, carrying him to the center of the ring we'd formed with our bodies. Gently setting him down where he would be safe, Gray remained at his side to act as a protector. He still sent blasts of ice at anyone who came too close to the others, his face set in hard lines.

Meanwhile, now that Aprindere was unable to move, Juvia was free to finish him off. With one final shriek of rage, the mage thrashed against his icy confines before Juvia neatly removed his head from his shoulders with a thin blade of water. Panting with pent-up emotion, she looked up and smiled triumphantly at us. I felt my own lips curling in pride at her success. _She and Lyon really make a good team…._

With a terrible rumble, the wall of ice that had been separating the Dark Mages collapsed in a million tiny shards of ice. Everyone froze to turn their gazes on the small blonde, who stood there with a dark aura surrounding her. Her youthful face was frighteningly calm, the complete opposite of the murderous aura that was coming off of her. Even Sitri backed away a step, bowing his head in awe and respect. And maybe a little fear.

"I had not wanted to do this," she began, her high voice cold and emotionless, "but you have left me with no choice. You have killed yet another of my generals, and so now I must end you swiftly. You will never climb out of the dark abyss."

A shadow stole across the ground, like a bony hand crawling swiftly across the land. Within seconds, it had reached everyone, swallowing us up in its dark embrace. And just like that, I felt nothing.

There was no hope for us. My eyes hollowed out, my sword clattering eerily against the ground as it fell from my limp grasp. _We are…finished._

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**Now that things are wrapping up, I feel kind of sad. And yet happy that I can move on to writing other fanfics! :D **

**Anyways, please check out my other story (more shameless self-advertising!), and don't forget to leave a review telling me what you thought of this chapter! And of course, please follow and favorite! :D Hopefully I hear from more of you soon, on my other story! :) Until next time! **


	16. Chapter 16 - Sacrifice

A/N: Alright guys, this is the anti-penultimate chapter! Only two more after this. And both are kind of like epilogues.

Thank you to **FoxOnPie**, **Lightmoon54**, **Shonnyterra**, **ElodieKumari94**, **TivaNaluKick4evs**, **rosella ice**, **VsfMark **and **ahaurats-FT** for reviewing, favoriting and/or following! :)

Now, I really hope you guys all cry and hate me after this chapter, because that will mean that I have done well as a writer. ^.^ Try not to hold too many grudges, ne? :3 Now that you're all so scared to read this chapter, I'll let you get to it! :D So pull up your favorite sad, emotional song on YouTube and get reading! :D

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Chapter Sixteen – Sacrifice

_Erza_

I sank to my knees in defeat. The whole world seemed to be swallowed up with crippling darkness and despair. I could not find it within myself to even lift my head, so consumed with darkness was I. The townspeople staggered to a halt, looking around in detached confusion. It was as if they were machines and their power chords had been pulled.

_They were drawn to our light, the fires burning within us. But now we have none. The darkness is all that remains._

A deep, soul-consuming coldness filled me, leaving me numb. The icy fingers crawled through my body, squeezing my heart in a frozen fist. Dimly, I was aware of eerie, high-pitched singing drifting through the air. The tone was haunting and pierced my mind, though I couldn't comprehend the words just then.

Slowly, numbly, I climbed to my feet and shuffled forward, letting my feet carry me where they would. I felt like a living corpse as I ambled around, passing people I knew. And I knew that I knew them, but I just couldn't seem to summon up any emotion. We were all just…there. All feeling the same weight of despair.

Lucy crumpled to the ground, tears streaming down her pale cheeks as she wailed her agony to the sky. Cana was leaning against Gildarts's chest, both of their eyes glazed over with hopelessness. Gray stood off by himself, his head hanging against his chest. On my other side, Wendy and Chelia knelt with silent tears coursing down their blank faces. Even Rogue, at death's door, looked like he had given up the will to live, though with his stomach still bathed in blood, it wasn't that much of a stretch to imagine why.

_We've been defeated…without them lifting so much as a finger. This is how it ends, then. _The thoughts whispering through my mind were strangely disconnected, as if it were someone else putting them into my head.

As I watched, I saw the townspeople start forward again, renewing their attacks. The sheer force of their despair seemed to be driving them to insanity, for they turned on each other as often as they attacked members of our alliance. A group of them pounced on Lucy while she was still weeping, tearing at her clothes and hair. Everywhere, people were clashing with fists and teeth, no better than animals. The more I watched, the more apparent it became that we couldn't use our magic in this state. Not that I cared; I was too far past feeling. The shrieks and moans of despair rang through the night, a cacophony of agony.

A hand suddenly closed around my wrist, jerking me around to face the blond mage with the white strip of cloth tied across his face. Thin, blood-colored vines roved hungrily over his cheek and neck, their golden thorns glinting as if in anticipation of blood. I blinked when I realized that the vines and the black rose they stemmed from were just tattoos—or were they?—but was unable to muster any revulsion or fear. I could only stare desolately into his murderous crimson eyes as he glared down at me.

"Now that you're not so mighty, _Titania_," he hissed venomously, "I will pay you back for this." He brought his hand up to the gaping wound in his shoulder, his fingers coming away sticky with the scarlet liquid.

I could only stare at him with hooded eyes, detached from my own life, my own emotions. Nothing mattered, because death and pain were inevitable. We'd already lost.

"Where's your spirit now?" he taunted viciously, leaning in so close that I could feel his breath fanning across my face and see the flecks of gold in his blood-red eyes. "This won't be any fun if you don't put up any resistance. Although, I do have to admit, there's something immeasurably satisfying about seeing you reduced to such a pitiful state. For years, I've heard tales of the determination and strength of the mighty Titania. How she is undefeated in battle. And now look at you." He shoved me onto the ground roughly, looming over me with his foot planted on my stomach. He leaned his weight on me, a scornful look on his face. "You can't do anything to stop me." Straightening, he peered down his covered nose at me. "No matter; I shall enjoy breaking your body to match your broken mind."

Before I could react—not that I would have, in this state—he surged toward me, his teeth snapping hungrily as he palmed a thin blade. A line of fire spread across my shoulder, and I realized that he had driven the knife into the flesh there. He raked it down, opening up a deep gash along my upper arm. I gaped in silent pain as my blood splashed hotly against the ground, crimson rivulets pouring down my arm.

The red-eyed mage—Sitri, if I recalled correctly—leaned closer and flicked his tongue out against my throat, leaving a wet trail along my skin. "Does that hurt?" he whispered into my ear. His nose brushed my temple, almost like a lover's caress. "That's nothing on the pain you will be feeling after I'm done with you. And then I'm going to let you scream for a while, until you're begging me for death. Only then will I grant your request." An anticipatory gleam entered his eyes as he pulled back to gaze into my face intensely. "How will your magic taste, I wonder?"

My head lolled limply to the side, my eyes staring straight ahead. I could feel the pain as he turned my other palm up and opened up a gash across the inside of my forearm, but it seemed to be disconnected from my body. Sitri pulled back with a frown on his face. He absentmindedly licked the blood off his knife, an irritated look creasing his forehead.

"Well, this won't be any fun, if you're in this state." Sighing, he stood and turned to gaze at something over his shoulder. I remained kneeling on the ground, having no will to move. "Milady Darkbringer, if you would…?"

An overwhelming presence swept over me, and I looked up to see the young blonde girl standing before me. Her face was perfectly calm and sweet, but her eyes were cold and calculating. She tapped her index finger against her bottom lip, nibbling on the nail. I couldn't move beneath her gaze, couldn't even take my eyes from her. At last, still not breaking our eye contact, she turned to Sitri. "Very well. I will lift my influence from her mind."

Sitri smirked at me and bowed to the girl. "Thank you, my—"

"However," she interrupted in a cold voice that immediately silenced the man, "I will render her incapacitated first, so as not to waste this chance. And you must kill her swiftly before she has a chance to retaliate."

The other mage's smirk faded, replaced by an almost pouting look. But there was something darker in his eyes. "Understood, my lady. As you wish."

The girl took a step closer to me, until her white boots were inches from my knees. Her pastel pink dress brushed against my thighs as she crouched and gripped my chin with her small, pale fingers. She tilted my face up so she could stare into it fully. The cold appraisal in her eyes was frightening. Tilting her head, she regarded me as one might a bug under a microscope.

"Such fiery passion," she murmured to herself. "Such a strong will to protect her friends. It will truly be a pleasure to douse it forever."

In the next instant, I was lying on my side, curled up in the fetal position and rocking back and forth on the ground while agonizing screams ripped from my throat. The despair was just so _strong_ now…I was drowning in it, unable to draw a life-saving breath. I clawed desperately at my aching throat, tears streaming down my cheeks to mix with the dust on the ground. And still the screams continued, wracking my whole body. I wanted to disappear, to escape from the agony of the crushing misery. It was too much to bear. My body was cold, and yet I was on fire. My mind was wracked with the most excruciating pain I'd ever felt; the pain of complete and utter desolation. _Please! Just let me die!_ The words echoed in my numb mind until I realized I was screaming them aloud.

After what seemed like an eternity, the anguish finally ceased, leaving me cold and shaking on the ground. I was unable to move for the weight of the despair in my mind. Just as suddenly though, my mind was once again returned to normal. I gasped as emotion finally came rushing back to me, emotion other than despair. Fury for what these people were doing, fear for my friends, the aching need to just leap up and fight for them. But my body was unable to respond to the nudges from my mind to get up. I could only lie there, shaking.

Sitri let out a gleeful purr, bending close again. Behind him, the blonde girl stepped back, a disinterested look on her youthful face. He once again raised the stiletto, the tip poised above my heart. My pulse pounded thickly in my ears, drowning out all other noise. Sitri leaned close and pressed his lips to my neck. I could feel two sharp points pressing against the skin, about to pierce it. With a final, desperate attempt, I managed to get my body to work again. However, I was too late. With a ferocious cry and a gleeful smile, Sitri raised the blade and struck.

My eyes clenched tightly as I waited for the pain to erupt through my body, for the splitting agony of the blade embedding in my heart. It never came. My eyes shot open, my mind racing at a thousand miles a minute. What had happened? Why wasn't I dead? Where was the pain?

Something warm landed on my bare knee, and I spied a small splash of red against the creamy skin there. Time slowed as I raised my eyes to the figure kneeling in front of me. There was another person between Sitri and me. Familiar golden-brown eyes met mine, a deep sorrow glinting in their depths. And yet the handsome, beloved face before me displayed only serenity and a simple happiness as the man I loved looked down into my face.

"Jellal," I whispered hoarsely. "What…?"

"Erza…I…." Before he could finish, his eyelids flickered and he collapsed forward into my arms. I cried out as I saw the black hilt of the dagger embedded in his back. A pool of crimson was already spreading across his back, soaking his tattered coat. My eyes widened with horror and denial.

He was dying.

"Jellal!" I screamed, hot tears sliding down my pale cheeks. "JELLAL!"

"Well, as unexpected as that was, this is rather fitting too, don't you think?" Sitri mused smugly to himself. I raised furious, insane eyes to the mage, my teeth bared in a silent growl of pain and rage. The tears were spilling down my face faster than I could register. Behind his shoulder, the girl looked on in annoyance.

"You monster!" I roared, nearly choking on the words as tears clogged my throat.

"That I am," he said casually. "What I'm wondering, though, is how this scum managed to regain enough of himself to take the strike." His eyes narrowed in thought as he studied Jellal's form with a shrewd interest.

The disgust was plain in the blonde girl's voice as she spoke. "Love. It's always been a hard thing to control, let alone erase." She turned with a final scathing look and walked away, leaving Sitri to smile evilly at us in her wake.

Jellal coughed weakly in my arms, and I turned my gaze to him. Fear gnawed at my insides like a ravenous beast. It turned frantic when I saw the thin rivulet of blood seeping from one corner of his mouth. "Jellal, stay with me!" I cried. With precise movements, I pulled the dagger from his back with a gut-wrenching sucking sound. The metal clattered against the cobblestones at my side, and I quickly pressed a hand to the gaping wound to try to staunch the flow of blood. I could feel the hot liquid streaming through my fingers as Jellal's life steadily leaked from his body.

"Nng," he groaned, his eyes slipping shut. His face was so pale; the blood was flowing swiftly from him, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

Tears were blurring my vision as I peered down at his face, cupping his cheeks tenderly in my hands. "Jellal," I said thickly, "please, stay with me! You'll be okay. Just please, please don't leave me." My voice broke on the last syllable, and I felt choked by the anguish rising up within me. I couldn't let him die. He was the person I loved most.

"Erza," he whispered. It was so soft that I thought I might've imagined it. Only the faintest movement of his lips convinced me that he had really spoken. I lowered my face to his so that I could hear him better. He struggled to peel his eyelids back, his pupils constricted to pinpricks in his golden irises. "Erza," he tried again, "I…sorry…couldn't…."

"Shhh," I crooned through the tears sliding thickly down my face. "It's okay. I know, but you're going to be okay."

He raised a shaking hand to my face and pressed his finger against my lips. I nodded silently, indicating that he could continue. More tears coursed down my face, pooling against his finger. I couldn't bear to watch him struggle like this. "You are…my life," he whispered. "Saving you…is saving…m-my life. I don't regret anything…about us. If I could, more time..." His words trailed off as tears slid down his cheeks. My own dripped onto his face, mingling with his tears. I raised a hand to tenderly brush them away from his cheeks. Despite the tears, his face remained accepting, his eyes calm. Aside from the slightest hint of pain visible behind his eyes, he looked as if he could be falling into a peaceful sleep.

A shuddering sob tore through me as I bowed my head and rested it against his chest. His heartbeat was so faint…I could barely even feel it anymore, and the beats were slow and erratic as his heart tried desperately to keep him alive. "I love you, Jellal," I sobbed into his shirt, one arm around his shoulders while the other pulled him closer to me as I cradled him in my lap. "I can't…I can't go on without you this time. It will shatter my heart."

His hand closed around my uninjured shoulder, surprisingly firm. "You will live," he commanded me. "Don't make my sacrifice be for nothing."

I pulled back slightly to stare down through my tears at his intense face. His brow was furrowed with the effort of making me understand. I nodded, despite the agony that tore through me. I would have to live on. Without him.

A small smile tugged at his lips as his eyes slipped shut again. "Good," he sighed. "I…love you…Er…za…."

His head rolled back, his features going slack. The faint thumping of his heart beneath my fingers faded away. One final tear drifted down his cheek, hung on his jaw, and then dropped to the blood-soaked earth.

"Jellal!" I screamed my agony to the sky, clutching his body to my chest as I rocked back and forth. My heart seized up, breaking into a thousand little fragments. There was a physical ache in my chest. Time would never heal it, that I knew.

At last, I lowered his body to the hard ground. I stared down at him through my tear-blurred eyes. His features looked so peaceful. I tenderly leaned down to brush a feather-light kiss across his cold lips. "Why did you leave me?" I whispered brokenly.

"Well, wasn't this just…sweet." The sardonic voice stirred something within me. Slowly, I raised my eyes to the demon standing before me. Knowing that he had been watching Jellal's last moments made me feel violated.

_He will pay. _

My fury rose up within me like an unquenchable wave, a tsunami of vengeance. I lunged at him with a terrible scream, a flame-wreathed sword appearing in my hands. "_I will destroy you, you bastard!_"

His eyes widened in surprise at the ferocity and speed of my attack. My blade flashed in the moonlight, cutting through the bandage that covered his nose. It drifted down to the ground, revealing an inky black tattoo across his nose that spread out across his cheeks. It was a leering, skeletal mouth with fangs sharper than a sword. As I watched, blood collected at the tips of the fangs, dripping down his face. Real blood.

"Now you've released the monster." His voice was deeper and more animalistic, almost a growl. Before my eyes, a giant shadow rose from him, looming above his figure like a mountain. Twin orbs of bloody red peered down at me from the great height the shadow had risen to. I staggered back a step as the shadow beast literally stepped out of Sitri and onto the ground.

A tremor rocked the ground, nearly causing me to lose my footing. A voice like thunder rumbled through the air, giving me a ferocious headache. "_You humans have woken me from my slumber. Now you must all die._"

Before I had a chance to react, a massive red shape tore past me and collided with the shadow monster. I blinked and realized that it was Natsu. _He's free!_ I thought in relief. Looking around, I saw that several others had also started to shake off the magic. Lucy was fighting her way out of the horde of insane townspeople, her clothes torn and streaked with blood. Though she still wore the look of hopelessness, it was now matched with determination. _That's Fairy Tail for you,_ I thought affectionately. _Even in the face of utter defeat and hopelessness, we still manage to push through with sheer determination and resolve._

A familiar voice echoed in my mind, and I turned in shock to stare at dragon-Natsu. He was…speaking to my mind. _If it's love that can beat this, then we will always triumph. _I could hear the pride in his voice through my mind, and felt my own stirring of pride.

_Yes, we will always triumph. …Even if sacrifices must be made._ The thought of…Jellal…brought icy resolution to my heart, and I hoisted my sword to charge Sitri again. I would let Natsu handle the shadow demon. Sitri was mine.

He grinned evilly at me, baring canines as sharp as the Dragonslayers'. My tears had dried on my face, leaving only cold determination. I would end this monster, for Jellal's sake. And for my own.

* * *

_Lucy_

I spared a glance for Natsu's battle with the strange shadow monster that had sprung out of the mage named Sitri. The giant red dragon's scales glinted silver in the moonlight as he wove nimbly through the air around the demon, blasting flames at the thing. I could feel the power emanating from him even from here. But the shadow demon also emanated a powerful magic aura, and seemed to be evenly matched with Natsu.

Not far from that battle, I saw Erza battling with Sitri. Her face was pulled into the most terrifying expression I'd ever seen. It was even more frightening than her usual fiery rage. This was something else entirely. Her eyes were golden chips of ice glinting murderously in a mask of complete and utter icy hatred. It was…terrifying. Her swords were moving so fast I could no longer see anything more than a telltale blur in the air, but still the mage managed to evade somehow.

I struggled free of the horde of townspeople that had ambushed me, heedless of the numerous scratches that covered my body. I could still feel the weight of the despair weighing on me, but something had changed. I was now able to continue fighting, even though I knew in my mind that we had no hope. They were just too powerful. And yet, I was not about to just roll over and accept that. We would die fighting. We would die protecting our friends.

I grew somber as my gaze settled on the motionless figure lying on the ground behind Erza. A familiar patch of blue hair caught my eye, despite the large puddle of scarlet that was spread out beneath him. _Jellal,_ I sighed to myself. _Oh, Erza…I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry that your Happily Ever After ends here. _I spared a moment to bow my head in silent respect for Jellal. He had helped our guild so much, and as Erza's beloved, we all felt strong feelings toward him.

Movement caught my eye, and I snapped my head up. Beyond the fighting, a small figure was walking away. A pale pink dress swished around her legs as her blonde hair blew gently in the breeze. My eyes narrowed. This was the girl responsible for this mess. She could not be allowed to escape.

My fingers found their way to the key that hung around my neck. Taking it in my hand, I focused all my energy on summoning the one spirit powerful enough to defeat this menace. My magic was still dangerously depleted, though, so I wasn't sure if it would work. I could feel that my magic wouldn't be enough at this point, and despair began to weigh on my mind once more. Suddenly, a cool hand clasped my shoulder, and I turned to see Gray. His eyes were still glazed over, as I suspected mine were, but I could see the same defiance burning within his soul.

"Take my power," he murmured in his deep voice.

"And mine." Another hand clapped my other shoulder, and I looked over my shoulder to see Ultear. They both nodded at me, their faces tense. I mustered a weak smile through the despair that still hung over me. With the two of them directing their magic toward me, I felt my own power surge. It crept higher and higher, until I felt the familiar hum of magic from the delicate crystalline key.

"Gate of the Spirit King, I open thee!"

A golden glow radiated out from the key and expanded until it was the size of the Spirit King. In the blink of an eye, he materialized before me. I looked up at his long white mustache, pale blue skin and pupil-less red eyes. He was clad in his usual battle armor, though this time he wielded a large double-handed sword, as well.

"Lucy Heartfilia-san, it is my pleasure to be of service to you. What do you request of me?"

"That girl," I said, pointing towards the retreating figure in the pink dress. "Please stop her. And…defeat her." I couldn't bring myself to say the word 'kill', though I knew the King knew what I meant. He bowed in acceptance and then clapped his large hands.

Everything around me ground to a halt. Everyone froze in the middle of what they were doing, unaware of time being stopped around them. And then I lost track of time, being frozen in time until the Spirit King released everyone. After what could have been two seconds or two hours for all I knew, I was able to move once more. I staggered forward, feeling a sudden magical drain. Gray and Ultear slumped against each other, their hands falling from my shoulders. Pressing a hand to the key around my neck, I noticed that it was no longer active; the Spirit King had returned to the Spirit World. However, as I looked around, I also saw that he had fulfilled his side of the agreement before leaving; a small figure was slumped against the side of a building, not moving. The sight chilled me, for it looked as though she could be sleeping. Not a mark was visible on her body, and yet I knew that she was no longer here.

I fell to the ground, unable to support myself any longer. Looking up through my tangled blonde hair, I watched the other battles unfold.

Natsu roared a blast of fire at the shadow beast, but this time he managed to hit it. As soon as the monster began writhing from the pain of the dragon's flames, Natsu dove in and began clawing and tearing at the shadows, ripping viciously with claws and teeth. A ferocious roar echoed through the night as he sank his fangs into the creature's neck, thrashing it like a dog with a toy. The monster gave its own roar of fury, but was no match for the next powerful blast of magic that Natsu sent at it. With a final roar, the shadow beast exploded into a million tiny pieces that scattered with the wind.

"No!" Sitri yelled, enraged. He screamed his rage, the tattoo across the middle of his face beginning to burn. Thin tendrils of black smoke began to rise up, and he clawed desperately at his face, staggering backwards and dropping his sword. In a moment, his head had burst into flame, his shrieks of pain shrilly filling the night air and blending with the crackle of the flames.

Erza gaped at him in shock for a moment, before shaking herself and lunging towards him. "He's mine!" she shouted, swinging her sword back to strike. With a furious battle cry, the Requip mage plunged her sword straight through his chest until it came out the other side, dripping blood. With a snarl, she twisted the blade and ripped it back out. Sitri lurched forward, his chest a gaping wound with blood staining his tattered shirt. Still not satisfied, Erza drew her sword back for another swing. A moment later, Sitri's flaming head toppled from his shoulders and rolled across the cobblestones.

The only sounds were the hissing flames and the soft currents of wind blowing through the town. Everyone stood still, not sure what to do. I wearily looked around and noticed that everyone else had reverted to their normal selves again. A small smile crept across my lips as I sagged in relief. We had done it. Against all odds, we had come out on top.

There were still a few loose ends that needed tying up, though. Now that everyone had been returned to normal after the death of Malaena Darkbringer, I turned my attention to Levy, hoping that her magic would return with the death of Sitri. Gajeel was holding her anxiously, searching for any sign of change.

After a few moments she still looked just as sick as before. Worry gnawed at my gut as I came closer. "Levy-chan," I said softly, pressing my hand to her forehead. She slowly opened her eyes.

"Lu-chan," she said weakly, meeting my concerned gaze.

"Can you feel any magic now?" I asked anxiously. To my sorrow, she shook her head.

"Oi, shorty!" Gajeel said, peering down at her with a gruff expression. "Hang in there. We're going to get your magic back." Levy smiled gratefully up at Gajeel, though I had to wonder if it was because she believed him or because she just appreciated his effort. And of course, there was still the little problem that no one knew how to go about solving this.

I didn't have any magic, so I didn't have the ability to summon Crux. Just as I was wishing for even a little more magic, I saw a familiar golden shimmer appear in the air before me. A moment later, Loki stepped out with a grim expression.

"Lucy, I heard your problem. Since you can't summon Crux, I asked him if there was anything he knew about this."

When he paused for an uncomfortably long amount of time, I took a step closer. "And?"

"And…the only way for her to get her magic back would be for someone to trade in their magic for hers to return."

Gajeel and I exchanged grave looks. I looked down at the delicate girl in Gajeel's arms. She was my best friend. I couldn't let her go on like this. A mage's magic was like their life force. Without any magic left, she would waste away. And I knew what I had to do.

I took a big breath and began to speak the words that would exchange my fate with Levy's. "I will—"

"I will trade my powers for hers."

I blinked in surprise and looked up at Gajeel. His face was solemn, but determined. He really meant it. Loki glanced between us uneasily. "Are you sure?" he asked. "You won't be able to use magic anymore," he cautioned.

Gajeel's Adam's apple bobbed in his throat as he swallowed. "I'm sure." His voice was hard, as were his eyes. That was enough to convince Loki.

"Alright. The exchange has already begun."

Sure enough, Gajeel's tan face was growing paler and Levy's pallid cheeks were regaining color. My stomach clenched as I watched Gajeel grow sicker. _He really does love her. I only hope that his sacrifice will be worth it._

It only took a few minutes for the transfer to be complete. After another moment, Levy's eyes flickered open. She looked down at her body in awe, as if she was just seeing it for the first time. "My…my magic's back!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Lu-chan, Gajeel-kun, my magic's back!" She turned happily to the man holding her, but faltered when she saw his ashen face. He smiled softly at her, but her eyes widened as she realized what had happened. "Gajeel…you…." A tear trekked down her face as she looked up at him.

"No need to cry, shorty," he said gruffly, turning his head so she couldn't see his face straight-on. "I'll be fine. I'm stronger than you anyways, so better me than you." Despite his efforts to make her feel better, she continued to cry.

"Gajeel, you shouldn't have done it! Your magic is far more valuable than mine! You can't just do this without my permission!" Her voice broke and she buried her face in Gajeel's chest. He awkwardly stroked her back, trying to soothe her.

"I couldn't let you suffer," he said simply, pulling her gently away from him so he could look into her hazel eyes.

Immediately, another golden light filled the air. We all gaped in astonishment when the Spirit King stepped forth again. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared imperiously down at us all.

"Well, young human, it looks as though you have proven yourself." Gajeel's eyebrow studs rose at this term of address. "It takes real courage and love to sacrifice yourself for another. And that is what magic is all about. Your magic…is returned."

Gajeel's mouth fell open as he stared up at the Spirit King in astonishment. Levy sobbed in relief and wrapped her arms around his neck. With a final salute, the Spirit King disappeared back into the Spirit Realm. Loki smiled and nodded at me before following his king back into the Spirit World.

Levy tugged Gajeel's head down and pressed her lips against his. My eyes widened in shock. Feeling suddenly very intrusive, I turned around. Natsu was already striding toward me, back in human form now. His face was uncharacteristically serious, and my eyebrows creased in worry as he approached. Before I had a chance to ask what the matter was, he pulled me into his arms and crushed me to his chest.

"Lucy, I'm so glad you're alright," he murmured into my hair. I could only stand there blushing madly. After a moment, I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my chin on his shoulder.

However, over his shoulder, I saw a certain redhead kneeling at the side of a still figure. She collapsed on top of his chest, her body heaving with great, wracking sobs. They were all alone, illuminated by a stray beam of moonlight and the crimson smoke that filled the air. My heart broke for them. This was one sacrifice that could not be reversed. I could only pray that, in time, Erza's heart would heal. If not completely, then at least enough for her to face the world bravely once more.

_Goodbye, loyal friend and ally. We will always remember your selfless sacrifice. It saved us all. 'Til we meet again._

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**Sorry this chapter was so long... Well, in spite of the death of dear Jellal, I hope you all liked this chapter! :) Please leave a review to let me know what you think, guys! And even though the story is almost done, it's not too late to follow or favorite! :)**

**Also, I happen to have the next chapter already written. ;) Because it was so good I just couldn't wait to write it, as far back as a couple months ago. :) Sooo, if I get...let's shoot for 10 reviews on this chapter, I will post it early. **

**Oh gosh. I get kind of irritated when authors attempt to bribe readers into reviewing...and now I've gone and done it. o.O Gomenasai! *bows* But it had to be done. *nods grimly* **

**Anyways, hopefully I'll be able to post the next chapter soon! ;) **


	17. Chapter 17 - Fate's Hands

A/N: Well, thank you to everyone who helped me meet my goal of ten reviews for the last chapter! ^.^ You guys even exceeded that, with twelve reviews! Arigatogozaimasu, minna-san! Of course, still feel free to continue reviewing on the last chapter, even though this one is up now. ;) And as promised, this chapter is being posted early as a Thank You for your participation! ^.^

Quick Note: Since this story is being updated in less than 24 hours, some of you who missed the update for chapter 16 might not have read it, so make sure you've done so before reading this chapter.

A huge thank you goes to everyone who showed your appreciation and support for this story today! ^.^ That would be you, **severedserenity**, **greenymidget**, **FoxOnPie**, **Shonnyterra**, **GopherPlant**, , **GingerificFabulousTime** and **fairyofthelake** for your awesome reviews! And of course, all the wonderful guest readers who left reviews as well! I love you guys! And additional thanks go to **bluecrushsurfergirl**, **Suspiciousmeowfanfics** and **Jared Cabrera** for following and/or favoriting! ^.^

Now, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! There's only one more after it. :(

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Chapter Seventeen – Fate's Hands

_One year later_

Laughter and the clinking of glasses filled the warm spring air with cheerful, familiar noises. Everyone in the city of Magnolia was celebrating the Sacred Sakura Festival this evening, and Fairy Tail was no different. Perhaps, like always, they were even the most rambunctious group in the whole city.

Except for one scarlet-haired mage.

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I looked on as all my friends lifted their mugs (or in Cana's case, her whole keg) of sake and drank heartily beneath the falling sakura blossoms. They were all laughing and talking energetically, their expressions rosy and animated. Evergreen was sitting on Elfman's lap, the two accepting congratulations from well-wishers on their recent marriage. I could swear that I still had rice kernels stuck in my armor from their lavish ceremony just yesterday. It was still hard to believe that they were actually married—almost up until the actual event itself, they had denied their feelings for each other adamantly. I shook my head helplessly. They were stubborn to a fault. And poor Mira…when she had found out, her face had gone whiter than her hair and she looked like she'd seen a ghost. She'd stumbled off to the bar, muttering something about ghosts of her past coming back to haunt her, but from the way she was now smiling and fawning over them, you'd never know it.

A little ways to their left, Lucy caught a falling blossom and cupped it in her hand, staring down at its fragile petals. A pink-haired man snuck up behind her and plucked the blossom from her hands, laughing as she tried to take it back. After several failed attempts to reclaim her flower, Lucy laughed and leaned back against the trunk of the tree. "Alright, you win."

Natsu surprised her then as he took a step closer to her and adopted a more earnest expression. A soft smile lit his face as he slid the blossom behind her ear, running his fingertips along her jaw as he did. Lucy blushed but held his gaze, as the two slowly drifted closer until their faces were mere inches apart. Until a half-naked man with raven black hair stumbled into Natsu from behind, causing him to fall to the side.

"Gray! What are you doing?" he demanded angrily. Lucy chuckled and moved off to help Mira serve drinks as the two men began wrestling on the ground. The Dragonslayer and celestial spirit mage had drawn even closer over the past year, often staring into each other's eyes for so long that others had to retreat or feel like a third wheel. I smiled to myself in satisfaction. _It won't be long before we celebrate another matrimony, I think._

Speaking of marriage, the sound of a crying baby brought my attention to a certain young couple that was now walking into our festival. Juvia held a wailing infant in her arms, her white-haired husband guiding her with his arm around her shoulders. A little tuft of white hair was visible above the folds of the blanket that swaddled the ten-month-old child, and her big blue eyes were crinkled in distress as tears gathered in her outrageously long eyelashes.

"Shhh, Yuki," Juvia cooed, the ends of her dark blue hair brushing the baby's rosy cheeks. Lyon stepped closer and planted a kiss on his wife's temple before creating an ice teddy to rest in his daughter's arms. She immediately stopped crying, and an intense look of concentration scrunched up her tiny face. I felt a nervous flop in my stomach as I anticipated that Juvia would shortly find a surprise in Yuki's blankets. However, it was a different surprise that appeared after a moment. The teddy bear was now covered in a soft white powder, resembling fur. Yuki giggled in delight and smooshed the teddy to her chest.

"Dada, wook!" she gurgled. "Teddy has fur!" She giggled again, showing charming dimples in her chubby cheeks. Lyon laughed and ruffled her hair that matched his own.

"Indeed it does!" he said proudly, beaming down at Yuki. Juvia smiled up at him, and they brought their lips together in a kiss.

Gray strolled over to them, clad in only his boxers. He clasped Lyon on the shoulder and grinned down at Juvia. "Well well. I see you two are doing well. You three," he amended as baby Yuki gurgled at him and waved her snow teddy at him. "And it looks like your offspring's going to be just as troublesome as you, Lyon," he said with a shudder. Lyon punched Gray in the shoulder and Yuki blew a raspberry at him.

"Unckie Gway is meeaaan," she pouted, clutching the teddy protectively to her chest. Gray looked down at her, offended.

"Ugh. She's a smart little thing." Yet a small smile twitched at his lips as he peered down at the child.

"Of course my Yuki is smart! She takes after me in both looks and intelligence," Lyon gloated. Juvia glared at him and he playfully jumped back so as not to get whacked. "Of course, if she had her mother's intelligence, it would simply be too much for a baby to handle," he said smoothly, shooting a winning grin at his wife. She rolled her eyes and dismissed him.

Gray snorted and smacked Lyon in the back. Before Lyon could respond, Gray turned to Yuki again. "Here." He created a rattle and placed it in Yuki's waiting arms alongside the teddy. "That's edible ice." He hastily looked away from Lyon's raised eyebrows. "Not that I've been experimenting for any such reason as this, of course."

As he wandered hastily away with his hands laced behind his head, Juvia chuckled and Lyon nuzzled Yuki's fuzzy head. It was still strange to see them like this, even though it was no longer new. A month after we'd defeated Death Strike, the two had eloped and gotten married. We'd all been completely floored upon their return, but especially Gray. Considering how he'd originally been, I thought that he'd come a long way in accepting their relationship. I'm sure it helped that they both quit their guilds and took up residence in Magnolia as independent mages. Not being around Juvia as much made it easier for Gray to cope with this dramatic change in events. After all, for so long, he'd been wishing Juvia would direct her affections elsewhere, and yet when she finally did, and in such a complete, abrupt manner, I'm sure it must have sent him into shock. And yet, as I watched Juvia with Lyon now, I would never have known that she had once been head-over-heels for Gray. _I guess she's just as single-minded and passionate as ever. I'm glad that she got her Happily Ever After._

But something in my chest felt hollow still, almost aching as I watched the happy couple showing off their baby to the guild. Mirajane was fawning over the child, rubbing her cheeks against Yuki's silky baby cheeks. Levy approached, as well, clasping her hands together in delight as she peered down at the little stranger. A certain rugged Dragonslayer watched her take the child from Juvia's arms with an unreadable expression. But I thought I could detect the faintest hint of a blush in his tan cheeks. _And it looks like we may find ourselves with yet another couple soon enough._

A high-pitched squeal of delight preceded a familiar pink-haired woman as she passed beneath the sakura tree. Her pale pink dress swept the petals covering the grass as she went, a dark-haired and –skinned mage following closely behind her. Each of them held a small child in their arms, about the same age as Yuki. They had dark hair and pale skin, with bright blue eyes that were taking in their surroundings with interest.

"Sherry! Ren!" Juvia exclaimed happily as the newcomers joined them. "It's so good you guys could make it! I see you're all looking fine."

"Yes! Thank you, we are doing fine! And you look rather good, yourselves." Sherry winked at the blue-haired mage, and they wandered off to play with their children. The Akatsuki twins had apparently both inherited their father's magic, as they were sending little puffs of wind across Yuki's face, much to her delight. She reciprocated by dumping a pile of snow in their laps, much to their dismay.

My smile gradually drifted from my face like the sakura blossoms from their trees. The hollow feeling in my chest persisted, though I couldn't understand the reason for it. All of my friends were here, and we were all alive and well. What more could I want?

A fleeting image of dark blue hair and a red tattoo around a chocolate brown eye flashed through my mind. My eyes widened. _Jellal…._ Tears gathered in my eyes as I recalled the pained smile he had flashed me at the end, filled with so much love that I wondered how one person could contain so much emotion. _But I won't be seeing him ever again. He…he's gone. For real this time. _My heart felt like it was shattering into a million tiny fragments as I recalled the way his eyes had slowly drifted shut, and his body had stilled. His final sacrifice for me.

Suddenly unable to breathe, I pushed off of the tree I'd been leaning against, slipping through the shadows to get away from the suffocating air. I couldn't draw enough oxygen into my lungs, my breaths coming in short huffs. My steps quickened as I headed deeper into the sakura grove, away from the festival. I didn't care where I ended up, just so long as I was away from there. Seeing everyone else, so happy with their loved ones…I couldn't handle it now. Tears, hot and bitter, tracked down my cheeks, blurring my vision. All the pain and sorrow I'd kept pent up inside for this past year burst free with the glistening droplets. I howled my anguish to the skies as I ran through the trees, the sakuras weeping with me as they shed their blossoms. I kicked off the strappy stilettos I'd donned for the occasion, feeling the cool grass caress my feet as I fled. Though it hindered my movements slightly, I didn't bother to exquip out of my new white evening gown. The ends hiked up around my knees as my legs pumped harder and faster.

At last, I came to a stop. Panting, I pressed my hand into the trunk of a sakura tree. After a moment, I brought my other hand up to rub the tears from my eyes. Physically, I wanted to go take on an army. But emotionally, I was so drained I wanted to curl up in a hole and never come out. I inhaled a deep, shaky breath and held it for several seconds before slowly releasing it. Then I raised my eyes, taking in my surroundings for the first time. It was a grove of sakura trees, but I didn't recognize this place. It was the most glorious sight I'd ever beheld in nature. Delicate, pale pink blossoms drifted down to the ground, falling like snow. The ground was cloaked in a pale pink blanket of blossoms, and the air was so thick with them that I couldn't see much else. The sun's fading rays carved golden paths through the flowers, making them glow and sparkle like gems. I closed my eyes and inhaled the sweet scent of the sun-kissed blossoms, turning my head up to face the sinking sun. For a moment, I wished I could stay in this moment forever.

Suddenly, above the quiet, silky sound of the blossoms nestling against the ground like snow, I heard another sound disturbing the quiet. Footsteps, gliding through the soft petals. My eyes snapped open and I spun around, preparing to take down any enemy who dared disturb my solitude. But what I saw made my heart stand still and my breath catch in my lungs.

An excruciatingly familiar figure stood on the other side of the small sakura grove, his warm brown eyes watching me with a haunting expression. Tousled blue hair fell across his forehead, and a red tattoo was visible around his right eye. He stood in a simple but elegant black suit, a gray dress shirt visible beneath his sleek jacket. A dark blue tie completed the ensemble, matching his hair.

A sound that was half gasp, half whimper escaped me. "Je…Jellal?" I whispered, not quite daring to hope. Falling sakura blossoms partially obscured his figure, and I was wary that this was some type of desire-induced mirage.

"Erza…" he breathed, a look of awe crossing his handsome face. "You're here."

"Jellal!" I cried, suddenly running towards him with tears streaming down my cheeks.

He held out his arms as I flung myself into them, burying his face in my neck. "Erza…it's really you. I can't believe…I finally found you." He inhaled deeply, his fingers curling into my hair.

"I thought you were dead. I thought I would never see you again." My voice grew thick with tears as I pulled back just enough so that I could look into his face.

"So did I." His grip tightened on me, tugging my waist against him. "I'm still not entirely sure what happened. All I remember is a vast, empty plain…and then I woke up in a strange town. Thank goodness it wasn't far from here…I hoped I would find you if I went to Magnolia's Sacred Sakura Festival."

A tearful chuckle escaped me. "Well, here I am. And all that matters is that we're here now, together."

"Erza…" he began. But I didn't let him finish. Leaning up on my tiptoes, I crushed my mouth to his, wrapping my arms around his neck. He responded immediately, one hand tangling in my hair to cup the back of my head while the other pulled me closer to him. All the tension and frustration of years of distance between us burst free in a glorious explosion of color. Jellal's uniquely musky scent, of pine, spice and citrus, consumed my senses. I wasn't just smelling him—I was tasting him.

I slid my hands down to his cheeks, tilting his head to deepen the kiss. His masculine, angular jaw was smooth beneath my palms, and I caressed his cheeks and jaw with my fingertips. Something wet flicked against my bottom lip, and I opened my mouth to him. Jellal's tongue swept in, dancing and twining with my own, a passionate, rhythmic dance that stole my breath. He moaned against my mouth, his fingers tightening in my hair. My hands slipped down to his broad shoulders, exploring across his muscled chest and back. My fingers squeezed his shoulders and kneaded the hard muscles bunched in his back. Jellal gasped and pressed my body against his so that you couldn't have slid a piece of paper between us from our chests down to our hips. He caught my bottom lip between his teeth, gently tugging and sucking. I moaned as little sparks of fire ignited in the pit of my stomach, traveling lower.

Jellal lifted his lips from mine, and I whimpered with the need to feel his lips again. However, they reconnected with my skin just below my ear, trailing a line of little kisses down my jaw. A trail of fire followed in their wake as his lips moved to my neck, right below the corner of my jaw. I arched my back into him and tipped my head back, my eyelids at half-mast with pleasure. My hands traveled upwards again, tangling in his ragged blue hair as I pressed his head against me. When his lips reached the base of my neck, they began travelling upwards again, this time nipping and sucking gently at the skin. His tongue flicked out and slid across the sensitive skin right beneath my ear, and I gasped with pleasure. My skin was on fire, burning with heat and yet shivering with desire. For so long I had wanted this, for so long I had dreamed of this. And now Jellal was here, in my arms at last.

As his lips once again found the hollow between my neck and shoulder, his hand slid up to my shoulder, tugging the thin strap of my dress off my shoulder. I shivered as his velvety lips glided across my shoulder, trailing down my arm until his lips pressed against the inside of my wrist. I looked down at him and saw him peering up at me through his dark lashes. His cerulean hair was tousled from where my hands had raked through it, but he looked sexier than ever. Confusion settled over me as I saw him get down on one knee, still holding my hand between both of his. Tenderly, he pressed a kiss to the back of my knuckles, gazing up at me with a smoldering look in his eyes.

"Erza Scarlet," he murmured. My stomach felt like a swarm of butterflies had taken up residence in it. Pale sakura blossoms drifted down around us, catching in Jellal's hair and swirling around us like a barrier between us and the rest of the world. Licking his swollen lips nervously, he gazed up into my eyes with a serious expression. "Since the day I first laid eyes on you, I have been in love with you. You are the most beautiful, strong, caring woman I have ever met. And you are my light in a dark world of chaos. No matter what we have endured, Fate's hands have brought us together again. I love you, Erza, and never want to be separated from you again. Will…will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" His voice quivered slightly as he asked me the one question I'd always wanted to hear from him. But his eyes were steady and determined, and shining with so much love that for a moment, I couldn't breathe.

"Jellal…of course!" Tears slid down my cheeks once more, but this time from joy. I threw myself into his arms, knocking him over onto his back. The flowers coating the ground flew up in a pink puff as I landed on top of him, and then spiraled down around us. My thighs were straddling his hips, and I brought my lips down to his. Jellal gently wiped the tears from my cheeks with his thumb before wrapping his arms around me and pulling me tightly against him. This kiss was more passionate than before, leaving me breathless and flushed as I pulled back to gasp for breath. Our lips locked once more as our hands roved over each other's bodies, desperately needing to reassure ourselves that this was real, that we were really here. Sliding my hands between our chests, I began unbuttoning his suit jacket. He helped me remove it and then nimbly removed his tie and undid the buttons on his dress shirt, exposing his tan, sculpted chest. My fingers glided across his smooth skin, luxuriating in the feel of his hard muscles. Jellal's hands slid down my ribs and over my hips, coming to rest at the place where my dress was bunched around my knees. After only a moment's pause, he slid his fingers beneath the edges and caressed the smooth skin of my upper thighs. Then he tugged upward on the hem of the dress, and I sat up a little so that he could pull the dress over my head. Casting it to the side, his gaze roved hungrily over my body. I was wearing nothing but my lacy black bra and panties, and I saw his eyes darken with desire as he swept his gaze over the delicate lingerie.

Needing to feel his bare skin pressed against my own, I pulled his unbuttoned dress shirt the rest of the way off, lowering myself down against his body. Jellal buried his face in my bare neck and made a growling noise in his throat. "Erza…" he said in a husky voice, inhaling my scent and moving his hands down to cup my hips. He squeezed and tugged them down against his own, and a low moan slipped past my lips.

Knowing that the last of my control was about to slip away, I cupped his face and gazed into his dark, dark eyes. "Jellal," I said in an equally husky voice. "I love you. An eternity with you would not be enough time."

We smiled knowingly at each other, and as we brought our lips together again, the sun finally slipped below the horizon. Only the moon and the stars illuminated us as we spent our first night in an endless line of nights together in each other's arms, surrounded by the velvety night and the drifting sakura blossoms. It was the most perfect night of my life.

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**What did everyone think of this chapter? I hope you all appreciated it! ^.^ Please leave a review, minna! Those of you who left reviews on the last chapter telling me how sad you were that Jellal died had better leave more reviews on this story! :P Haha **

**Please look forward to the little epilogue's epilogue chapter that I will be posting next! ^.^ And thank you for all of your continued support. :) **


	18. Chapter 18 - Epilogue

A/N: So, it looks like the time has come to say my final thanks to everyone who has followed along with this story (yes, even you silent readers out there who have never made yourselves known). You guys have no idea how much this means to me. This was my first story on fanfiction, and I wasn't sure how it would be received. Thank you especially to everyone who has been with this story since the very beginning. I love you guys! Yes, this is the final chapter. :( It's been quite an experience. I hope you all continue to read other stories by me in the future! :) These are the people I'd like to thank for reviewing on the last chapter: **GingerificFabulousTime, Shonnyterra, ElodieKumari94, bluecrushsurfergirl, RubyDemonXoXo, FoxOnPie, severedserenity, Lightmoon54, fairyofthelake **and** GopherPlant.**

****Oh yeah! I made some drawings of the girls in their wedding dresses. :) I will post them on my DeviantArt account, if anyone wants to see. The link is on my profile page, near the bottom.

Well, I'll let you guys get on to the epilogue now. I hope you enjoy!

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_Epilogue_

_Crocus, two months later_

_Nobody's POV_

The slender branches of the sakura trees rustled against each other in the soft breeze, causing their delicate pink blossoms to swirl to the ground. The sun was shining high in the cerulean sky, breath-like puffs of white clouds floating serenely by. In the city of Crocus, people were running about excitedly. There were more people packing into the streets than there had been since the Grand Magic Games, which had closed down after the incident with the dragons. Mothers pacified tired children with freshly-iced cake pops, and fathers swooped their kids onto their shoulders to get a better view of the lacrima screens set up every block.

As a giant clock chimed ten minutes 'til noon, a certain reporter stood excitedly in front of a massive marble church. He eagerly clutched a microphone as he faced a television crew with a camera.

"Good morning, Fiore! Today's special broadcast is brought to you by me, The Weekly Sorcerer's Jason! Today we have an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime event! So coooooool!" he crowed. "That's right, folks, you all know what it is! Half of Fiore has turned up for this event! The streets and all the pubs are packed with people watching on lacrima screens. Only people personally invited are allowed into the church, though, so that means…." The reporter trailed off as he began blubbering like a baby. "That means," he sobbed shrilly, "that even I, the great Jason, will not be able to bring you a live report on the coolest event of the year!" The television crew turned awkwardly away from the balling reporter and filmed shots of the throngs of people surrounding the church instead. Everyone was hoping for a chance to see the procession later, when it would leave the church in a couple hours.

After all, it wasn't every day that three of the most well-known women in Fiore were getting married to three of the most famous men in Fiore.

High in one of the towers of the great church, a blonde woman in a long white dress leaned on the window sill, looking out on the eager masses. The golden sun lent her face a beautiful glow. Or was it the sun…?

"Lu-chan, how does it look?"

The blonde woman turned away from the window as another woman entered the room. Her hands flew to her mouth to cover a shriek of excitement as she looked over the other woman's dress.

"Levy-chan, it's beautiful!" Lucy squealed. "Go on, spin around!"

The shorter woman did as she was instructed, allowing her flowing skirts to flow gracefully around her slender hips. The dress was creamy white with a pale blue sash tied right beneath her breasts. From there, the front of the dress opened up to reveal a layer of lacy ruffles underneath. Her sky blue hair was neatly curled, a white headband holding back her bangs. Little diamonds and sapphires glinted on the headband, and more diamonds were meticulously sewn onto the silky outer layer of her skirts.

"It feels a little long," Levy mused with a hint of doubt. She nervously gathered up the glistening fabric in her hands. White silk gloves adorned her hands, cutting off at her wrists. A tiny blue bow was tied on the outside of each wrist where the gloves ended in a strip of lace.

"It looks perfect," Lucy said, her eyes glistening with sincerity. "Besides, it won't matter to Gajeel. He'll just sweep you off your feet either way."

The blue-haired woman blushed attractively as her friend winked at her. "Lu-chan, you're too sweet. And what about you? Your man won't be able to resist you looking like _that_."

Now it was Lucy's turn to blush. Her blonde hair was done up in an elaborate bun with diamond pins glistening in the tresses, two curled strands of hair framing her radiant face. Her dress looked more like a princess's, with its elegant bell skirts and lacy bodice. It was sleeveless with a sweetheart neckline, and she had silky white gloves extending to her upper arms. A diamond tiara sat in her hair, completing the princess look. A pale pink bow sat on her left hip.

"You are stunning," Levy said fondly, coming over to the other woman to take her hands. They both turned at the sound of the door opening softly. Their breaths fled them as they stared wide-eyed at the visage before them.

"Er…za?" Lucy gasped, her eyes as wide as saucers.

The red-haired woman smiled softly and spun around. "It's beautiful, is it not?"

"Oh, the dress is lovely, no doubt about that," Levy snorted. "But _you_ are divine!" Both girls stared at their other friend with hearts practically glowing in their eyes.

Erza laughed, her cheeks dusted with a beautiful soft pink flush. Her dress had a long train in the back. The back of her skirts were ruffled where they fell from the golden bow tied at the back of her waist. With the exception of her ruffled backside, the rest of her skirts flowed sleekly down to the ground, hugging her ample curves. She had a sweetheart neckline, and a diamond choker glistened against her creamy throat. She nervously lifted a lace-gloved hand to her hair, patting the ringlets that were pulled back to make sure that the diamond pins still held them firmly in place. Two strands of curled hair framed her face, and a delicate golden circlet rested against her forehead, adding to her regal air.

"As are you two," Erza said firmly, coming to stand beside the other women. The three brides joined hands and shared a moment of pure joy as the minutes ticked by.

A knock sounded hesitantly against the door, causing all three of the young women to turn. A young woman with long white hair and a shimmering golden dress peered around the door, her face lit with a radiant smile. "Are you girls ready to go? We're all ready now."

Erza grinned and lifted her dress to glide over to the other woman. "That dress looks lovely on you, as expected of my maid of honor."

The four women made their way across the hall to the one other room on the floor, where their bride's maids were waiting. A chorus of '_ooh'_s went up as the brides swept into the room, dazzling in their bridal finery. The other girls in the room were arrayed in gold, blue or pink; the colors of the three brides.

A woman with dark brown hair and a pale pink gown went up to Lucy and nudged her in the ribs. "So Lucy," she began with a conspiratorial smirk, "excited to see how your man's gonna look? I've gotta say, I still can't come to terms with the fact that _Natsu_ is going to be…married." She proceeded to turn away and make barfing noises while Lucy just glowered playfully at her maid of honor and swatted her arm.

"You're just jealous that even that fire-head is getting married before you, Cana," Lucy snorted. "Besides, he's matured considerably in the past few months. I think he'll be a great husband." Cana grinned knowingly at her as Lucy turned her head to hide her blush.

Levy, meanwhile, was blushing as she received congratulations from her own maid of honor. The woman with wavy, dark blue hair was clasping her hands excitedly in front of her chest as she twirled around. "Oh, Levy-san, Juvia's so excited to see him getting married! You are so perfect for him. Juvia knows that you will be just the thing he needs, and she is so honored to be chosen as your maid of honor!"

"Juvia-chan, there is no one Gajeel and I would rather award this honor to than you." Levy clasped Juvia's hands in her own and smiled up into the other woman's face. "After all, he's known you the longest. And if it weren't for you, I would never have fallen in love with him." Juvia preened and fluttered at Levy's words of heartfelt gratitude, but it was just a mask for the tears that were building in her navy blue eyes. If there was anyone in the kingdom who was a flaming bundle of estrogen, it was Juvia.

Mirajane, the white-haired maid of honor, kindly ushered everyone together for one final girl powwow of support. The three brides, their maids of honor and their bride's maids gathered around in a circle to wipe their tears away and run final checks for makeup and hair.

"You all know how this is going to proceed," Mira began. They all shared a brief look of terror at the memory of all the failed dress rehearsals they'd had for the procession. Everyone was praying fervently that the boys wouldn't mess up the real thing. "Anyways, I just want to tell you all that it has been such a joy to work with all of you in preparation for this joyous day." She paused a moment to dab at her eyes. "Erza, Lucy and Levy are amazing young women, and I just wanted to wish them all the best, before their husbands steal them away to tropical honeymoon destinations." Giggles and excited murmurs followed the mention of their upcoming honeymoons. "So, if you ladies have anything you wish to say, do so now, because their receptions won't be until after they return, and who knows what could happen in the meantime?"

The other girls all spoke up immediately to get in their two cents with the brides, who accepted their well-wishes gracefully. Hugs and kisses were freely given and received, and more dabbing of damp eyes followed. Finally, the church bell tolled one minute 'til the hour. The ladies all lined up, the three brides at the back. They filed out door two at a time, and each pair was greeted by a dark-skinned mage with black hair. He bowed gallantly to each lady before cocooning them in a cushion of air and gently sending them down the tower to the waiting staff several flights below. Each bride had six bride's maids, so each woman had a partner to stand with until only the three brides remained at the top of the tower with the dark man.

"You three are looking simply radiant," he said in a soft, deep voice as he swept the three brides a bow.

"Always the flatterer, weren't you, Ren?" Erza said with an affectionate eye roll. "Hurry up and send us down, so you can go back to Sherry and the babies."

At the mention of his family, Ren smiled and lowered the three brides to the base of the tower in a cocoon of air. A second later, his feet touched down softly on the marble floor behind them.

Erza, Lucy and Levy stood side by side, their bouquets now clasped in their hands before them. The ceremony was to be held in the chapel through the door across the small foyer they were standing in, and they could hear the sweet strains of the harpsichord floating through the air. The flower girls had already started down the aisle, three abreast as they tossed the silky flower petals along the carpeted walkway. The best men had come down from the other tower and were already waiting in the foyer as the brides' maids of honor walked up to them and slipped their hands into the crooks of the men's elbows. Cana was with Gray, Juvia was with Rogue, and Mira was with Lahar. The latter two best men had been unexpected choices. The first time they had shown up for the wedding rehearsal, everyone had been shocked to see the Saber member and the man responsible for Jellal's imprisonment in the Council prison in the first place. However, Gajeel had explained that after the ordeal with Death Strike, the two had been able to regain a measure of the relationship they'd had before the disbandment of Phantom Lord. This time, though, they shared a mutual respect for each other, and while they still butted heads every now and then, the old feeling of senior and junior had resurfaced.

Jellal, on the other hand, had made no move to explain Lahar's presence as his best man. The Council member had taken it upon himself to explain how, after the Grand Magic Games that had taken place over a year ago, he'd come to see that Jellal was a changed man. Even though it had been painful for him to do so, Lahar had managed to forgive Jellal for his past, and the two had turned over a new and unexpected leaf of friendship. Once the charges against Jellal had been lifted, freeing him from the reputation of a criminal, the two men had discovered many common points between them. Both were men of justice and righteous intent, and once Lahar had been able to see that, they had become hesitant friends. So now, in an effort to atone for all the trouble he had caused for the other man, Lahar had agreed to be Jellal's best man so he could personally send him off into this next stage of his life.

As the brides' maids started down the aisle three at a time, Erza shifted nervously and gathered the silky material of her dress in her hands. Lucy and Levy were murmuring together excitedly, and the best men and maids of honor were busy watching for their signal to proceed down the aisle. The only other people in the room were Master Makarov, who would be acting as all three of the brides' father, and Macao, who would be there to support Makarov, since there were three brides and only one Makarov. The order, from left to right facing the group from behind, was to be Lucy, Makarov, Erza, Macao, and then Levy. The older men were currently arguing softly together about some silly thing, clearly trying to cover up the fact that they were both crying.

The scarlet-haired woman sighed silently, contentment settling over her. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she gazed around at the people who were family to her. They had been there with her through so many struggles in her life, and she wanted nothing more than to be there for them. But now she was getting married, so her new family would come first. Briefly, she wondered what she and Jellal were going to do. They'd discussed the possibility of quitting their guilds, as Juvia and Lyon had done, but that decision just didn't sit well with either of them. They'd also discussed trying to maintain their relationship while staying in their separate guilds, but they'd liked that idea even less; if they were going to be together, they were going to be together, darn it. The final decision they'd been contemplating was the one that, just the night before, they had decided would be the best option. And that was for one or the other of them to quit their guild and join the other's. Of course, the decision had been pretty clear from there. They had both agreed that Jellal should seek permission to join Fairy Tail. The only difficult part would be breaking it to Ultear and Meredy.

Erza sighed again. Her worries about being able to support her guild family would be nullified if Jellal joined Fairy Tail. Other difficulties would arise from that, but they all took a back seat to the issues most prominently at hand. Namely, the fact that Jellal and Erza knew something that the others did not as of yet know. There was a bigger reason for the pair wanting to be together in one guild than just to be together. Because, as Erza had discovered just a month ago, they had already started a family.

She pressed a lace-gloved hand to her abdomen. It was still flat, no sign of life visible beneath the creamy surface of her skin. But she could already feel it. Not kicking or anything; it was still too early for that. But she knew in her heart that there was little part of herself and Jellal growing inside of her, and with that knowledge came a fierce urge to protect the child. The couple had also agreed on Fairy Tail because they knew that it would be a good place to raise a family. The child would be loved, and all the guild members would look out for it. Erza knew that it would be difficult to raise the child, but there was nothing for her to fear if she had Jellal and her guild family at her side.

At last, the time came for the brides to step up to the threshold, the older men taking their places between them. The women all rested their hands on the men's arms, though Makarov had to hold his arms above his head for Lucy and Erza to reach. The music shifted to a brighter tone as the group stepped through the doorway onto the white carpet that had been rolled down the aisle. At the end of it, the grooms stood waiting, beaming silently at their brides.

The assembled guests all got to their feet as the procession made its way slowly down the aisle. The members of Fairy Tail who hadn't been involved in the procession stood near the front, tears streaming down their faces as they watched. The brides saw Lyon standing with his child in his arms, next to Ren and Sherry and their twins. Members from the other guilds were also assembled to celebrate this momentous occasion. Even the Celestial Spirits were all gathered. Loki was crying, though Lucy, who had caught sight of his spiky orange head, rather doubted it was from joy. She didn't even want to look at Taurus; the large bull spirit was sobbing into a handkerchief and wringing his hands, much to the discomfort of the guests around him.

As they drew closer to the altar and the men waiting there for them, the three women stared transfixed at their soon-to-be-husbands. They were all dressed smartly in white tuxes, looking every bit like princes. When they reached the end of the aisle, Makarov and Macao moved off to the sides while Lucy moved up next to Natsu, Erza to Jellal, and Levy to Gajeel. The priest stood before them, a cute little old man with rosy cheeks and a merry twinkle in his eyes. He gestured for the three couples to kneel before the altar, and the guests all sat down again.

"We are gathered here on this beautiful day to witness the marriage of these three young couples. They are here to seal themselves to their spouse for the rest of their lives in the sacred bond of matrimony. And now, I will perform the rites. Do you, Lucy Heartfilia, take Natsu Dragneel to be your lawful wedded husband, and promise to be true to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, and to love and honor him all the days of your life?"

"I do," the blonde woman said with wide, teary eyes.

"And do you, Natsu Dragneel, take Lucy Heartfilia to be you lawful wedded wife, and promise to be true to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, and to love and honor her all the days of your life?"

"I do!" the Dragonslayer declared resolutely, his hand finding Lucy's at their sides.

"Then I now pronounce you Husband and Wife." Moving on to the next couple before cheers could erupt, he asked, "Do you, Erza Scarlet, take Jellal Fernandes to be your lawful wedded husband, and promise to be true to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, and to love and honor him all the days of your life?"

"I do."

"And do you, Jellal Fernandes, take Erza Scarlet to be you lawful wedded wife, and promise to be true to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, and to love and honor her all the days of your life?"

The blue-haired man turned his head to smile softly at his new bride, threading their fingers and giving them a squeeze. "I do."

"Then I now pronounce you Husband and Wife." The priest turned to the final couple then. "Do you, Levy McGarden, take Gajeel Redfox to be your lawful wedded husband, and promise to be true to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, and to love and honor him all the days of your life?"

"I do."

"And do you, Gajeel Redfox, take Levy McGarden to be you lawful wedded wife, and promise to be true to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, and to love and honor her all the days of your life?"

"I do," he said in his rough voice. It was especially rough, and the priest suspected that the scary-looking man was fighting tears.

"Then I now pronounce you Husband and Wife."

Thunderous applause and cheers broke out as the guests surged to their feet once more. The couples rose and embraced each other. All the young women in attendance rushed towards the altar as the three brides tossed their bouquets over their shoulders. Jellal planted a long, sweet kiss on his bride's lips, drawing her close. Natsu grinned impishly at Lucy and pulled her close for an intimate embrace. Gajeel stuffed his hands awkwardly into his pockets, then lifted one hand as if to ruffle her hair before remembering that her hair was all nicely done. Levy giggled and wrapped her arms around his solid waist, resting her head against his chest.

After another moment, the three couples moved down to the center of the large room. The guests were all standing now, as their chairs began to disappear. Refreshments materialized on a table set up along the side walls, and the guests all cleared a space in the center of the floor for the couples. They took each other into their arms and began spinning around the dance floor to the music that floated by on the air. After another moment, the maids of honor were led onto the floor by the best men, and they began dancing together. Slowly, other couples began to trickle onto the dance floor. As the song changed, the partners switched up. Gray stole a dance from Lucy while Natsu danced with Lisanna, Levy danced with Jet and Gajeel danced with Juvia, and Erza danced with Loki while Jellal danced with Ultear. Everyone was laughing and chatting merrily, the drink flowing freely. Cana was already camped out by the wine fountain, a little tipsy from the spirits.

At last, nearly a full hour later, the couples drew together again to depart on their honeymoons. They pressed towards the tall, arched double doors of the church, the crowd gathered around to bid them tearful farewells. As the doors were pushed open, three nice cars were revealed idling on the street.

"I can't believe this is actually happening," Lucy squealed to Levy as they made their way down to the cars. The crowds of people waiting outside the church pressed in on them, everyone wanting to see the happy couples. Cameras were flashing, and microphones were being shoved into their faces. One reporter got a little too close to Lucy and almost smacked her in the face with his mic, causing Natsu to fly into a rage and shove the man aside while he scooped Lucy into his arms. She gasped in surprise, but quickly flushed with pleasure and wrapped her arms around her husband's neck.

Once the couples were all safely tucked into their cars, the masses cleared the streets enough for the vehicles to get by. In the backseat of the Dragneels' car, Natsu pushed his wife back onto the plush seats and began kissing her like the world was ending. In their own car, Levy and Gajeel sat beside each other, their fingers laced in Levy's lap. She leaned her head against his shoulder, and he tipped his head to plant a soft kiss on her forehead. Meanwhile, in the Fernandeses' car, Jellal pulled Erza onto his lap and held her tenderly while they both stared out the window.

"I spoke with Ultear," he murmured into her ear. She turned to face him, and he nuzzled her neck. "You won't believe what she told me. She said that she actually was expecting me to do that! And on top of that, she told me that she had already spoken with Master Makarov and made all the arrangements. Apparently, I am to become a member of Fairy Tail immediately upon our return to Magnolia." An awed note crept into his voice as he absentmindedly spun a stray curl of Erza's hair around his finger.

"That's wonderful news!" Erza beamed up at her husband, pressing a kiss to his lips. When they resurfaced several minutes later, Jellal caressed her cheek with his thumb.

"And there's more. That woman told me that she and Meredy have also decided to quit Crime Sorcière and join Fairy Tail! Again, they've already spoken with Makarov, and their initiation date is to be the same as mine."

Erza gaped at him. "That…that's fantastic!" she finally gasped. "I really think this will be good for them. And I'm sure they'll be accustomed in no time." A sly grin crept across her face. "I saw Gray and Ultear dancing together for the better part of the dances."

Jellal chuckled and pressed his forehead to Erza's. "Well, Ultear did catch your bouquet, did she not?" The couple shared a significant look.

A sudden braking of the car caused both of them to look up in alarm as the driver ground the brake pedal into the ground. Erza leaned forward over the seat in between them and the driver to see what the problem was. The man was shaking in his seat, pointing out the front window at something in the street in front of them.

Before Jellal could do anything, she had climbed over him and stepped out onto the street, her train gathered up in one hand. Muttering a curse under his breath, he followed his wife out into the street to see what was going on. They both saw a gang of thugs standing in the middle of the street, slapping swords and maces against their hands with wicked smiles.

Erza turned to Jellal with a look that was part exasperation, part excitement. Then she requipped into her armor, a sword appearing in her hand.

"Come on, Jellal. Looks like this is the start of our forever. Let's do this." The couple joined hands and shared a knowing grin before charging ahead, heads raised with smiles on their faces.

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**Hope that wasn't too cheesy, guys! ^.^ But if it was, sorry, I'm just a sap that way. :3 Again, I'd like to say thank you to everyone who has read this story! And again, I'd like to encourage you to check out my other stories! :) Please also leave a review on this epilogue, to let me know what you think and any final thoughts you have on this story. It's still kind of weird that it's done now. o.O **

**Anyways, see you next time! :D Hopefully on one of my other stories! ^.^ **


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